In what might be the most predictable outcome imaginable, “Scary Movie 6” is getting destroyed by critics, with the consensus being that many of the jokes feel dated or like they were written years ago.
The film sits at 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 35 on Metacritic. The Wayans need not worry, since “Scary Movie 6” is headed toward a $40M+ opening this weekend—a solid feat for an R-rated comedy in this day and age—and it’s not as if the previous five films were well-reviewed either.
Was the Scary Movie franchise ever actually “good,” or just nostalgic? I thought the first one worked alright, but the others overstayed their welcome.
The lure for “Scary Movie 6,” or as Damon Wayans put it, resides in its “anti-woke” humor, which the film seems to rely heavily on. There were even “pronouns joke” and “safe space” gags in the trailer. Here’s what Damon told EW:
What we’re trying to do is bring back laughter. This is about bringing back comedy the way it used to be. I think the only way to do it is you have to cancel the cancel culture.
The Wrap’s review addresses the film’s alleged ideology. However, as far as I know, none of the Wayans have publicly supported Trump or any Republican, yet the critic still accuses the film of leaning too conservative.
The film’s stubborn insistence that nothing about ‘Scary Movie’ needs to change and it’s the children who are wrong now makes its profane and controversial jokes feel conservative.
Theatrically, the comedy genre has struggled to produce a true hit. The last “successful” studio comedy was last year’s “The Naked Gun” at $103M worldwide, 2023’s “No Hard Feelings,” came closest after that, earning a modest $87M. Before those, you’d have to go back to 2018’s “Game Night,” which grossed $117M globally. “Scary Movie 6” will quite easily eclipse these titles in its box office run.
No one expected the Wayans to deliver a masterpiece—this is, after all, a franchise that has prided itself on juvenile humor, along with a long-running reliance on fart, penis, and gay jokes. Still, “Scary Movie 6” will likely be a sizable hit for Paramount, and will likely result in “White Chicks 2” being greenlit soon.
Damon and Marlon wrote the “Scary Movie 6” screenplay with Rick Alvarez (“A Haunted House,” “Fifty Shades of Black,” “Scary Movie 2”). Returning cast members include Anna Faris and Regina Hall reprising their roles as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks. The rest of the ensemble includes Marlon, Shawn Wayans, Dave Sheridan, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott and Jon Abrahams.
The film is at its best when it’s simply being loud and messy — which isn’t enough of the time. And it’s fitting that a movie about The Sun should feel exactly that way.