Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell are in the movie "Scream."
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Spider-Man: No Way Home held up well despite real competition, but it was easily defeated by Paramount PGRE and Spyglass's Scream, which took in $13.35 million on Friday. Halloween Kills had a R-rated single-day gross of $22.8 million Friday and $17.3 million Saturday, which was a front loaded $49 million debut frame. It earned $19 million on Friday, which is the biggest opening for Paramount since A Quiet Place part II. It is an example of how franchise-specific horror has been a reliable workhorse. It is a surprising example of a franchise recovering after previous failure.
If we take into account frontloading and related variables, we think that the sequel could open between $35 million and $45 million, which would be a major win. It may make more money over the weekend than it did in April. I am happy to say that this is one that audiences said "Yes, please" because of the rights changing hands. It is also an example of a release from the Pandemic-era. I will argue that Kong, Free Guy, Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home were over performed.
Between the opening day of Scream 2 in December 1997 and the first Friday of Scream 3 in February 2000 inflation is right. The opening weekends of $32.9 million and $34.7 million were grabbed by those. The opening of Scream 4 was a lackluster $18.7 million. The first Scream opened with just $6.3 million over Christmas weekend 1996 before showing incredible legs and ending with 16.3x its Fri-Sun debut figure of $103 million. The opening night showing of Scream 2 was filled with teens and young adults who were very happy to be there.
When fewer people watch network television/basic cable and non-tentpoles in theaters, it's harder than ever for Paramount to make sure they know what went right. We got a theatrical trailer, a few television and online spots, and a few things to say about the film. The core hook was a new cast of young/diverse kids getting menaced by a new Ghostface and track down retired Dewey for help, along with promises that Sidney and David Arquette would be involved. It helps that the film works for fans of all ages.
Over the last 11 years, the previous film in the franchise has accumulated a cult status. I am not a fan of Emma Roberts, but the generation that saw the first two films in the series as teenagers are now old enough to see this new film. This generation thinks of Scream as the follow-up to the one they like better than the one everyone hates. Spider-Man: No Way Home used complicated feelings over Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man movies into a redemption/vindication narrative.
This is a domestic box office. The presumption is that the well-reviewed horror flick will play like a typical MLK movie, with a Friday number of around 3- 3.4x. If the budget is kept in check and the movie is good, it will be another blow to the narrative that nobody goes to movie theaters anymore.
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