Scream 7 Opens to Mixed Reviews as Neve Campbell’s Return and Production Upheaval Fuel Box Office Interest
Early critics have delivered a divided reception for the new Scream installment as the franchise’s 30th anniversary approaches and the film heads to theaters this weekend. The movie’s blend of a returning Neve Campbell, a Ghostface threat to her family and a high-profile creative shake-up has made the release both a critical litmus test and a commercial bet.
Scream 7 Early Critical Consensus
A compilation of first reviews published on February 26, 2026 shows the reaction is mixed. Some critics praise the film as a comeback: Kristy Puchko of Mashable called it “a return to form, ” adding that it makes “terrific departures from the franchise’s weakest points” and that, while not necessarily the best, it is “damn close. ” Peter Gray of The AU Review said Scream 7 “proves sturdier than expected, ” praised its intergenerational dynamic and described the mother-daughter relationship as providing emotional grounding amid the bloodshed, while also calling this entry one of the campier installments.
Other reviewers offered qualified endorsements: Pete Hammond wrote that it was worth the wait for Kevin Williamson to steer the film, and Anthony O’Connor judged it “far more engaging than any seventh film in a horror franchise has any right to be. ” Grant Watson termed it entertaining but not unmissable. Yet several critics were blunt: Manuel São Bento labeled it disappointing, Gregory Nussen called it a waste of time for franchise fans, and Owen Gleiberman said Williamson’s back-to-basics approach left the film feeling “really just… basic. ” William Bibbiani observed the movie centers almost obsessively on Sidney Prescott and suggested skipping it would not cost viewers the best in the series. Taylor Williams criticized the film as an exercise in what the series lacks—fundamental horror filmmaking craft.
Kevin Williamson and the Return of Neve Campbell
Kevin Williamson, the original franchise scribe, returned to co-write and direct Scream 7. The creative decision positioned Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott at the center of the story as a new Ghostface killer terrorizes her family. That decision coincided with Campbell negotiating a near $7 million deal to rejoin the series, a salary described as a major payday for the horror genre and a clear lever in marketing the film to older fans who grew up with the originals.
Melissa Barrera Firing, Jenna Ortega Exit and the $500, 000 Rewrite
The film’s path to release was marked by a late-2023 controversy: Melissa Barrera was fired by production company Spyglass after she reshared social media content that the company deemed antisemitic. The posts included an accusation that Israel was committing “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and a magazine article alleging the Israeli government was distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry. ” The decision prompted backlash, and Jenna Ortega—Barrera’s on-screen sister and a lead in the previous installments—announced she would not return, citing scheduling conflicts with her Netflix series Wednesday. Director Christopher Landon later left the project after receiving death threats tied to the firing, despite not being the decision-maker.
Those exits forced a substantial retooling: Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick co-wrote a new screenplay to account for the departures, a rewrite that has been pegged at roughly $500, 000. The production overhaul and cast turnover produced vocal fan reaction and required producers to reframe the sequel’s protagonists, restoring Sidney Prescott as the emotional and narrative center.
Paramount, Spyglass, Box Office Forecast and Salaries
Studios are treating Scream 7 as a major commercial opportunity. The film is tracking an estimated North American opening of $45 million to $50 million—a projection described as a series-best kickoff—while Paramount and Spyglass lean on nostalgia to drive audiences. The decision to bring Campbell back followed concerns within Paramount about continuing the franchise without her after a prior salary dispute, though Spyglass retained final creative control. Courteney Cox, a franchise mainstay, was paid $2 million for her return. The revival calculus was eased by the performance of Scream VI, which earned $161 million worldwide and represented the biggest global haul since the first two films in the series.
Industry Voices and the Broader Implication
Shawn Robbins of Fandango and Box Office Theory summed up the industry view, likening Campbell’s role in Scream to Jamie Lee Curtis’s in Halloween and calling her a significant draw for older generations. What makes this notable is how a combination of star leverage, a six-figure screenplay overhaul and a contentious offseason have been folded into a single release strategy that aims to translate controversy and nostalgia into box office returns.
The knife-wielding, masked Ghostface returns to theaters with a mixture of fresh kills, sentimental through-lines and a fractured production history—elements that have left critics divided but given studios a high-stakes opening weekend to test whether the franchise’s latest recalibration pays off.
