Weekend Box Office: Scream 7 Scores Franchise-Best Opening
The new slasher film also secured the eighth-highest February opening ever with $64.1 million.
For all the hubbub surrounding the latest film in a 30-year-old horror franchise, the negativity didn’t stop fans from showing up. Neither did the controversy surrounding its final girl regime change and the supposed ensuing boycott, or even the reviews, when the bulk of the nation’s critics got to catch up with it, labeling it the worst of the bunch. No matter, because Paramount may already be looking at their biggest success story for all of 2026.
King of the Crop: Scream 7 Scores Franchise-Best Opening
Wes Craven’s Scream was released 30 years ago, just before Christmas, in 1996. It opened to $6.3 million and ended up becoming one of the biggest word-of-mouth successes the holiday season has ever seen, grossing over $103 million. Scream 2 was greenlit quickly and came to theaters the following year, opening to $32.9 million and grossing over $101 million. In 2000, the film that supposedly was going to end the trilogy began in February with $34.7 million and finished with $89.1 million. Wes Craven returned to his baby 11 years later with Scream 4, but audiences weren’t as enthusiastic, as it opened with only $18.6 million and finished with a disappointing $38.1 million.
Another 11 years later, the franchise was revived with a legacy sequel reuniting old survivors with new potential dead bodies. The January release of 2022’s Scream opened to $30 million and ended with $81.6 million. A year later, the March release of Scream VI would have the series’ best opening ($44.4 million) and domestic total ($108.1 million) to date. The controversy behind the scenes, though, had already begun and would continue.
Neve Campbell walked away from the franchise when they lowballed her salary, leaving Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega to take on the latest Ghostface(s) themselves. Then, after Barrera spoke her mind on the Israel/Gaza situation, she was summarily dropped from the next chapter. Ortega then also left, and director Christopher Landon walked away from the project. At that time, Paramount backed up the Brinks truck for Campbell, and she has returned for Scream 7, which just opened to a franchise best $64.1 million, the eighth-best opening ever for February.
If there is one thing that separates Scream 7 from the previous six films, it’s that this is the first one to be withheld from a majority of film critics across the country. Leaks started to come out after screenings in France, a reminder to studios that true professionals will keep your film’s secrets. Reviews collected here, though, have saddled the film with a franchise-low 34% on the Tomatometer. Scream 3 was the only film prior to hit Rotten status (it’s currently at 45%, though it was as low as 36% not too long ago). Scream 4 has just held on with a barely Fresh 61%. The big news that should be associated with this release on the financial side is that after seven films in 30 years, this entry only needed $89 million globally for Scream to earn the moniker as a billion-dollar franchise. With $97 million this weekend, it can now claim that and then some. The $45 million production will be in profit in its first week.
Tales of the top 10: GOAT Drops to Second, Zootopia REaches 2025 Milestone
Sony’s animated GOAT dropped back to second after enjoying a week in the top position. Still doing well with $12 million in weekend three, its total has been driven up to $73.9 million. As for its quest for $100 million, only two out of 12 February releases to have between $70-78 million after 17 days reached the milestone, but both were family films (Journey 2 The Mysterious Island and Peter Rabbit). So don’t count it out yet. Journey 2 had $76.6 million after a $13.3 million third weekend and got itself to $103.8 million. GOAT will have to hold onto a portion of its audience when Hoppers opens next weekend and that could put a dent into its chances. Internationally the film is at $56 million and coming in on the light side of Sony Animation’s releases.
Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is benefitting from little competition out there since its release. In its third weekend, it hung on with $6.9 million, which brings its domestic total to $72.3 million. As we established last week, $100 million is out of reach. Going back to those GOAT statistics, “Wuthering Heights” is most decidedly not a family film. Actually, it matches up with another R-rated Margot Robbie film from February, Birds of Prey, which had a $6.8 million third weekend and $72.3 million after its third weekend. Heights looks to be headed for a finish in the $80-85 million range. Globally the film is over $192 million and will reach $200 million making this a win for Warner Bros.
Music is a big part of the top ten this week. Opening in fourth place is Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined. The duo’s concert film from Mexico grossed $4.3 million over the weekend in 833 theaters. Neon had a week of IMAX screenings for Baz Luhrmann’s assembling of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert and last weekend made $3.2 million in 325 theaters. Now they are in regular theaters, and its expansion into 1,903 theaters made another $3.5 million for a total of $7.8 million. That already makes it the 11th-highest grossing film of Neon’s domestic releases. It has made another $6.5 million internationally.
The band MercyMe have released 13 albums since their debut, which included their No, 1 Christian Rock hit, “I Can Only Imagine”, back in 2001. The sequel to the 2018 film based on the formation of that song, I Can Only Imagine 2, is not having the same kind of staying power. In its second weekend, it grossed $3.7 million to bring its 10-day total to $13.6 million. Whatever success it may achieve to recoup its $18 million budget (higher than the $7 million cost of the original, which ended up grossing over $86 million worldwide) will have to be on the home market.
When a film costs $90 million and has only made about a third of that after three weekends, it’s hard to call it anything but a flop at the box office. The R-rated adult crime thriller Crime 101 fell to $3.4 million and has made only $30 million on the domestic side to date. Internationally it has about matched that with $25 million. But even two-thirds of the way home, with a split of that going to theaters, does not add up to a positive for Amazon/MGM.
Sam Raimi’s Send Help continues to draw a crowd. His highest-grossing non-Marvel, non-Oz film made $2.8 million in its fifth weekend to bring its total just shy of $60 million; it should finish its run in the vicinity of $65 million. Globally the film is over $90 million, and one way or another, this should go down as a solid little success for 20th Century Studios.
Glen Powell’s latest star turn just never got off the ground, as A24’s release of How To Make a Killing has done anything but with just $1.5 million in its second weekend and $6.2 million total. The film is only A24’s sixth February release ever, and that includes this month’s launch of Pillion as well, which has made over $2 million to date. Killing is their second-highest grossing release this month, ahead of Oscar-winning Minari ($3.11 million), last year’s Parthenope ($289,303), and their very first release of A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III ($45,350). The Witch, which was their first wide release, grossed $25.1 million back in 2016.
Avatar: The Way of Water was the last film to spend at least 14 straight weeks in the top ten. Zootopia 2 is the latest, as it officially became the top-grossing domestic release of 2025, passing A Minecraft Movie. After another $1.4 million, it is now at $425.8 million domestic and ranks 34th on the all-time domestic chart for first-run releases. It is up to $1.859 billion worldwide.
Beyond the Top 10: Avatar: Fire and Ash Finally Drops Out
Avatar: Fire and Ash fell out of the top 10 after 10 weeks. It made $1.24 million and now has a domestic total of $401.2 million. It has made $1.481 billion, making it the 16th-highest grossing film worldwide ever. It is about $14 million behind Top Gun: Maverick for 15th place.
Angel Studios’ Solo Mio with Kevin James fell out of the top 10 but made another $1.23 million to bring its total to $24 million. A24 expanded Pillion, with Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgaard, into 357 theaters, where it grossed $701,000 for a total of $2.5 million. 20th Century Studios’ Psycho Killer fell 81% down to $300,000. It has made just $2.3 million.
On the Vine: Pixar’s Hoppers and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! Hope to Open Big
While GOAT carves out its path for a shot at $100 million, Disney/Pixar’s Hoppers is hoping to fast track its own with a big start next week and put March on a pace to outdo last year’s disappointment. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! with Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley also looks to bring in those curious with her update of the Frankenstein story.
Full List of Box Office Results: February 27 – March 1, 2026
- Scream 7 – $64.1 million ($64.1 million total)
- GOAT – $12.0 million ($73.9 million total)
- “Wuthering Heights” – $6.9 million ($72.3 million total)
- Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined – $4.3 million ($4.3 million total)
- EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert – $3.5 million ($7.8 million total)
- Crime 101 – $3.4 million ($30.0 million total)
- I Can Only Imagine 2 – $3.1 million ($13.2 million total)
- Send Help – $2.8 million ($59.9 million total)
- How To Make a Killing – $1.5 million ($6.2 million total)
- Zootopia 2 – $1.4 million ($425.8 million total)
Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast. [box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
Thumbnail image by Jessica Miglio/©Paramount Pictures
