Scary Movie — a scary movie milestone: Scream 7 Shrieking At Franchise-Best $59M Debut
scary movie fans helped push Scream 7 to a franchise-best $59M debut after a $28M Friday that includes previews. David Ellison can celebrate another win this weekend in addition to taking pole position with Warner Bros.
Box Office: Scary Movie Debut
Scream 7 is heading to a franchise opening record of $59M after a $28M Friday that includes previews. The previous opening record was 2023’s Scream VI with $44. 4M domestic. Some rivals are projecting totals well over $60M for the weekend, but there is caution because of the front-loadness typical of horror pictures.
Previews and Frontload Concerns
Early tallies shifted over two days. A Thursday figure initially showed $7. 5 million in previews for the Spyglass co-production; updated Friday AM figures put previews at $7. 8 million, which is a franchise record. That $7. 8 million figure is part of the $28M Friday total that now points to the $59M opening.
By comparison, the 2022 Spyglass/Paramount revival Scream did $13. 3M in previews/first Friday, which represented 44% of its three-day total ($30M) and arrived during a four-day MLK weekend that produced $33. 8M. In 2023, Scream VI posted a $19. 2M combined previews/first Friday, representing 43% of that picture’s $44. 4M three-day opening. Scream VI previously posted franchise records for previews ($5. 7M), ahead of a three-day domestic opening ($44. 4M) and a global debut of $66. 4M.
Social Reach and Conversation
Prerelase social media universe stats on Scream 7 measured at 264. 5 million, running 11% above horror-franchise norms across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram combined. That reach sits behind Scream VI’s 360. 5M social-media reach by 27%. Neve Campbell brings 672, 000 fans on social, while Courteney Cox was noted in pre-activation mode with 20. 7M fans.
Conversation was described as mixed-positive, with better word of mouth tied to Campbell’s return as the franchise’s spine rather than a cameo. Quoted reaction included: "The hype is nostalgia-with-teeth, with people treating Sidney like horror royalty and the trailer like proof the series still knows its own rules. " Other sampled lines ran: "Fans are cheering while also acknowledging Sidney’s life is basically a permanent caller ID jump-scare, " "So glad Neve Campbell is back. It’s not really a Scream movie if she isn’t in it!" and "This trailer has absolutely sold me… I’m going opening night. "
Creative Team and Return
Neve Campbell returns to the center of Scream 7, with Kevin Williamson back in the director’s chair. Williamson earned his first screenplay credit in 1996 for Scream and later penned Scream 2 and Scream 4. For Scream 7 he teamed on the screenplay with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who wrote Scream 5 and Scream VI. The creative reunion and Campbell’s return have been cited as key to the film’s reception and box-office strength.
Opening Scene and Violence
The film opens with a fiery set-piece at Stu Macher’s house, now an "experience destination" filled with Stab memorabilia and crime-scene details including outlines of where killers fell and plaques noting who was killed where. Characters include Scott (played by Jimmy Tatro), a devoted "Stab head, " and his girlfriend Madison (Michelle Randolph). The opening murders are framed not as mere fan service but as a declaration: "Don't get stuck in the past. "
Critiques of the opening note that Williamson’s kills in Scream 7 are more vicious than those in the original Scream and land closer to the graphic violence associated with the torture-porn trend that followed Scream 3 — a trend cited as part of why the franchise went fallow for 11 years. The sequence also echoes the prolonged assault at the start of Scream 5; Madison is described as subverting a "dumb blonde" expectation even as she ultimately dies. The film’s return-to-form tone and visible lineage to earlier entries were repeatedly emphasized.
After becoming the lead bidder for Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount was reported to be capping off a strong Thursday in the marketplace, and PSKY stock was noted as up post following news of Warner Bros’ realizing Paramount’s superior offer, trading at $13. 51 at the time of the post, up +21%. Given Scream 7’s early pace, the entire weekend looks to be well ahead of the same frame a year ago (the February finale/beginning of March), which did $54. 4M.
Paramount didn’t return request for—unclear in the provided context.
RIP Randy, the franchise reminder that knowing the rules of these films does not guarantee survival.
