It was a record-breaking weekend for Scream at the box office, as “Scream 7” exceeded all expectations and grossed $64M domestic, $100M worldwide — the highest debut ever for the franchise, and further confirmation that the horror genre has turned into a theatrical event over the last few years, with “Sinners,” “The Conjuring,” “Weapons,” and “Final Destination” all major attractions.
How ironic that the highest-performing Scream might also be the worst one. I haven’t reviewed the movie, but I did see it last week, and it is BAD — clunky, wooden filmmaking that somehow made me semi-appreciate the previous two films, which I didn’t even like.
Yet not even negative reviews could prevent “Scream 7” from overperforming — original projections had it at $45–$50M. That 37% on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t good, and neither is that B- CinemaScore, but it didn’t seem to matter much — people have been talking about the movie all weekend, going out with friends to see it, and turning it into an “event” that has had exhibitors nationwide smiling ear to ear.
It’s come to the point where Variety is reporting that not only is “Scream 8” happening, but it might shoot as early as this fall, which means it could technically come out next year. Might as well milk this franchise for all it’s got. And, of course, Neve Campbell is set to return — I bet her $7M salary from this last one will be much higher.
Scott is suggesting something more significant than a simple return to the series: the filmmaker appears to believe the franchise has drifted off course.