Box Office: ‘Scream 7’ Slashes $28.8 Million on Opening Day

The latest entry in the Scream franchise, “Scream 7,” has made a bloody impressive debut, grossing $28.8 million on its opening day. The film sliced its way to the top of the Friday box office, knocking last week’s box office champion, “Wuthering Heights,” off the leaderboard.

With a strong performance from 3,540 North American locations, “Scream 7” is projected to hit an estimated $60 million by the end of its opening weekend. This would mark the best debut in the history of the iconic slasher franchise. Paramount and Spyglass are banking on the film’s success, which could deliver a major payday after a somewhat tumultuous production.

A New Chapter in the Slasher Saga

“Scream 7” sees the return of original cast members including Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, who relocates to the small town of Pine Grove for a quieter life with her daughter. Of course, that peace is shattered when Ghostface resurfaces, threatening to tear it all down. Campbell is joined by Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Matthew Lillard, along with new stars like Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, and Mckenna Grace.

The film’s production was not without its challenges, as preproduction saw several hurdles, including the exit of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, as well as a major shift behind the camera. The film’s original screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, took over directorial duties from Christopher Landon. To make matters more complicated, a pay dispute kept Campbell out of “Scream 6”, but Paramount and Spyglass ultimately agreed to a $7 million deal to bring her back for this installment.

Other Box Office Standouts

While “Scream 7” dominated the box office, other films also made an impact on Friday’s ticket sales.

Sony’s animated film “GOAT” secured second place, earning $2.6 million domestically. The family-friendly flick, which focuses on professional animal athletes, is on track to earn around $11.7 million by the end of the weekend. With three weekends of release, “GOAT” is expected to reach a North American total of $73 million.

In third place, Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” brought in $2.2 million in its third Friday, with an estimated $7 million total by Sunday. The literary adaptation is expected to bring its domestic total to around $72 million.

The “Twenty One Pilots” concert film, “More Than We Ever Imagined,” ranked fourth with $2.1 million from only 770 theaters. The film, which captures the band’s performance in Mexico City before a crowd of 65,000 fans, is projected to finish the weekend with $3.5 million.

In a distant fifth place, “Crime 101” struggled with just $920,107 on Friday. Amazon MGM hopes the film will reach $3.34 million by the end of the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $29.9 million.

The Road Ahead

With “Scream 7” off to such a strong start, the film’s box office performance is poised to break records for the franchise. Fans of the series can expect more thrills, chills, and slashing as the film continues to roll out across theaters throughout the weekend.

For other films, however, the road to success may be more challenging. As the weekend progresses, it will be interesting to see whether “Scream 7” can sustain its momentum or if the competition will rise to the occasion.