Scary Movie: Scream 7 Posts Franchise-Best $7.8M in Previews

“Scream 7” leaped into theaters with a franchise-best $7. 8 million in preview ticket sales, a promising start for a scary movie that arrives as studios watch opening-week numbers closely and Paramount pursues a major corporate deal less than 24 hours after learning the path to buy Warner Bros. Discovery had cleared.

Preview haul: $7. 8M beats Scream VI

The $7. 8 million previews top the previous record of $5. 7 million set by Scream VI. Paramount is forecasting a $40 million three-day launch, while tracking from the National Research Group projects $45 million; Scream VI opened to $44. 4 million in March 2023. The film expands everywhere today and is scheduled to play in 3, 540 theaters in North America.

Scary Movie moment for Paramount

David Ellison’s Paramount celebrated the strong preview performance as another bright development following the company’s return to the table to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix walked away. Less than 24 hours had passed since news that the acquisition path was clear when the box-office numbers arrived.

Neve Campbell returns with family stakes

Neve Campbell is back as Sidney Prescott after sitting out Scream VI because of a salary dispute; she had appeared in every film prior to that absence. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the scripts for the original Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 4, co-wrote and directs this seventh installment. The story follows Sidney as she returns to her hometown with her daughter, played by Isabel May, and the pair soon cross paths with a new Ghostface killer. The daughter’s name is Tatum—the same name as Rose McGowan’s character in the 1996 Scream who was murdered. Courteney Cox also returns as reporter Gale Weathers.

Mixed early reviews land on camp and kills

The film is opening into mixed critical reaction as the franchise approaches its 30th anniversary. Christopher Campbell wrote on February 26, 2026, that early reviews are split: some critics call the film a comeback with Neve Campbell’s performance and fresh kills standing out, while others find it familiar and stale. Individual early reactions include:

• Kristy Puchko: “The Scream franchise just got fun again… Scream 7 is a return to form. ”
• Peter Gray: “Scream 7 proves sturdier than expected… enough to justify its existence. ”
• Pete Hammond: “It proves well worth the wait. Fans will approve. ”
• Anthony O’Connor: “Far more engaging than any seventh film in a horror franchise has any right to be… a solid entry. ”
• Grant Watson: “It is an entertaining movie, but it isn’t unmissable. ”
• William Bibbiani: “It’s one heck of an apology to Neve Campbell. Almost every scene is about how important Sidney Prescott is. ”
• Owen Gleiberman: “A sequel that, while it nods in the direction of being seductively convoluted, is really just… basic. ”
• Manuel São Bento: “A disappointing sequel in a saga that has never failed so evidently. ”
• Gregory Nussen: “For fans of the franchise, Scream 7 will prove to be nothing but a waste of time. ”
• Taylor Williams: “An exercise in what those films are ironically lacking: horror filmmaking fundamentals. ”
• Kristy Puchko (additional line): “This sequel makes terrific departures from the franchise’s weakest points. ”
• Peter Gray (additional line): “Where Scream 7 works best is in its intergenerational dynamic… The mother-daughter relationship provides emotional grounding amid the bloodshed. ”

Distribution, budget and format details

Spyglass fully produced Scream 7, with Paramount co-financing half of a net $45 million budget. The film rolls out overseas in 52 markets, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom, with seven additional markets to follow. The series performs best in English-speaking markets. This installment will be the first in the franchise to play in Imax and is also playing across all other premium formats.

Audience reaction and controversies

Early audience sentiment is a key wild card: studios generally prefer an audience score of 80 percent and above, and the film’s audience score stood at 76 percent as of Friday morning while the critics’ score sat at 37 percent, a franchise-low. The movie’s marketing rolled out a trailer in October focused on Ghostface targeting Sidney and Tatum, and an additional advertisement ran during the Super Bowl, underscoring the project’s importance to David Ellison and his new regime at Paramount. One notable cast change: Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7 because of her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

Globally, Scream 7 is targeting a $60 million launch. With previews completed and theaters open, the next confirmed milestones are the film’s opening weekend box office—where Paramount is forecasting $40 million and another tracker projects $45 million—and the continued overseas rollout across the 52 initial markets and the seven additional markets set to follow.