Scream 7 Opens in Theaters TODAY: Neve Campbell Returns, Mixed Reviews, and a Ghostface Full of Dead Characters
Scream 7 is officially in theaters. The film premiered at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles on February 25, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States today, February 27 — including in IMAX, a first for the Scream series. After years of turmoil, firings, exits, and a complete creative overhaul, Ghostface is back — and so is Sidney Prescott.
Scream 7 Plot: Sidney Prescott Has a New Life — and a New Target
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears become real once again. Sidney has married police officer Mark Evans and taken his surname, runs a coffeehouse, and is raising her children — including teenage daughter Tatum, named after Sidney's late Woodsboro friend Tatum Riley.
Scream 7 opens with the same Scream-style kills fans expect, beginning at the old Stu Macher house in Woodsboro, before shifting to Sidney's new life in Pine Grove, Indiana. A new tech-savvy Ghostface uses high-end technology to hunt victims — a modern twist on the franchise's signature phone-call terror.
Kevin Williamson Writes and Directs Scream 7 — A Full Circle Moment
Scream 7 is directed by Kevin Williamson, the man who wrote the original 1996 screenplay that launched the franchise. Williamson posted publicly about returning to direct, describing the experience as one of the best days of his life and acknowledging that Wes Craven was on his mind throughout the entire production. Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt co-wrote the script.
Williamson replaced Christopher Landon, who left the project after Melissa Barrera's controversial firing and Jenna Ortega's exit. The Radio Silence directing team stepped back to executive produce. Williamson has acknowledged that Scream 7 is deliberately less meta than earlier entries — a choice that has divided the franchise's longtime fanbase.
Scream 7 Cast: Dead Characters Return, New Faces Join Sidney
The Scream 7 cast blends returning franchise veterans with major new additions. Neve Campbell leads as Sidney Prescott-Evans, with Courteney Cox returning as Gale Weathers and David Arquette reprising Dewey Riley — despite his emotional death in the 2022 reboot.
Matthew Lillard returns as Stu Macher and Scott Foley as Roman Bridger — both characters killed in earlier films — alongside Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and newcomers Isabel May as Sidney's daughter Tatum, Joel McHale as Sidney's husband Mark, McKenna Grace, Anna Camp, Celeste O'Connor, Asa Germann, Mark Consuelos, and Jimmy Tatro.
Scream 7 Reviews: Critics Are Divided, Audiences Are Showing Up
On Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 67 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic assigned the film a score of 36 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Audience response has been warmer, with fans praising Neve Campbell's return and the film's nostalgic callbacks to the original 1996 classic.
Many viewers describe Scream 7 as sitting in an "in-between" space — bold in some choices, safe in others. Marco Beltrami's score has drawn near-universal praise, and Campbell's performance has been called the emotional anchor that holds the entire film together.
Scream 7 Box Office: On Track for a $40 Million Opening Weekend
Despite the mixed critical reception, the Scream 7 box office trajectory is strong. Early estimates projected a mid-$30 million domestic opening weekend, but by premiere week those estimates were raised to approximately $40 million — which would mark a franchise-best opening for a Scream film outside of Scream VI's $44.4 million debut.
There have been calls to boycott the film due to Melissa Barrera's firing from the production following her comments surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a controversy that has shadowed the project since late 2023. Whether the boycott meaningfully impacts the final opening weekend number will be known by Sunday evening ET.
