‘Scream VI’ drowned rivals at the weekend box office with a franchise-best opening

Oscar weekend belongs to “Scream VI” in theaters, while the horror sequel earned a franchise-best $44.5 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

The co-production of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group sailed past expectations, easily surpassing the previous series high of $32 million opened by “Scream 2” in 1997. to gather for the 95th Academy Awards, another reminder of how horror has become one of the few sure things in the box office industry.

After lying dormant for over a decade, the “Scream” franchise, previously directed by Wes Craven and released by Dimension Films, has found a ripe revival with a young cast led by the “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett brought back the 27-year-old series of meta slasher stories and serial killer Ghostface, and it paid off. Last year’s “Scream V” earned $137 million worldwide on a production budget of $24 million. In the latest chapter, Courtney Cox returns as reporter Gale Weathers, as well as Hayden Panettiere, a veteran of “Scream IV.” But this is the first “Scream” movie without Neve Campbell.

“Scream VI,” greenlit quickly after the success of “V,” also did well with critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 75% freshness rating. Moviegoers gave it a “B+” CinemaScore, a decent grade for a horror film.

Last week’s top film, “Creed III,” dropped to second after its better-than-expected launch. Michael B. Jordan’s MGM “Rocky” spinoff, starring him and Jonathan Majors, earned $27.1 million in its second weekend. It quickly passed $100 million in US and Canadian theaters.

Columbia Pictures’ “65,” a science-fiction thriller starring Adam Driver as a space explorer stranded on prehistoric Earth, opened in third place with an estimated $12.3 million from 3,405 locations. That may also be better than expected, for a film that has gotten terrible reviews from critics. (It scored just 35% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.) But “65” reportedly carried a massive production budget of about $90 million, not accounting for tax rebates.

by Bobby Farrelly “Champions,” starring Woody Harrelson as a disgraced coach trying to lead a basketball team in the Special Olympics, opened with $5.2 million at 3,030 locations. Audiences (an “A” CinemaScore) liked it more than critics (53% on Rotten Tomatoes).

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