'Scream VI' Delivers Franchise's Biggest Opening Weekend Of All Time
By Jeffrey Harris on March 13, 2023 at 1:30 AM EDT
It was a good weekend for Ghostface. "Scream VI" delivered another hit for Paramount Pictures. The sixth installment in the fifth series delivered the highest opening weekend ever for the franchise, bringing in an estimated $44.5 million at the domestic box office, per Box Office Mojo. This sets a new opening weekend record and franchise best for the slasher-horror series.
'Scream VI' Scares Up A Big Box Office Opening
The film came out just over a year after the fifth film, "Scream," which opened in January 2022 with a $30 million opening for the three-day weekend and $33 million for the extended holiday weekend. Turning around another new film quickly just after the fifth one was a bit of a risk, but it paid off big time for Paramount and Radio Silence Productions.
Critics were relatively positive about "Scream VI." The film scored 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's very close to where the last film ended up in 2022 (76%).
In addition to the film's domestic box office, it brought in another $22 million overseas, which brings its current worldwide box office total to about $67 million. Last year's "Scream" finished with $81 million domestically and $137 million worldwide. So, "Scream VI" certainly stands to make a lot more at the moment. So, the future looks bright for the "Scream" series at the moment if the studio plans to continue with more films.
The sequel has also been the subject of controversy. As previously reported by The Blast, longtime franchise star Neve Campbell opted to sit the sixth film out, as she was not happy with the payout she was offered to return for the latest installment. Speaking to People, Campbell stated, "I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years." As a result, Campbell's Sidney Prescott did not appear in the film and is only mentioned during the film. However, Courteney Cox, who has appeared in every installment of the franchise as well, did return for the sixth film as Gale Weathers.
"Creed III" also continued to do well at the box office over the weekend. The film ranked No. 2 and scored another $27 million to bring its current box office total to $101 million domestic and $179 million worldwide. 2018's "Creed II" finished with $115 million domestically and $214 million worldwide. "Creed III" should eclipse that number over the next two weeks or so. The original "Creed" finished with $109 million domestically and $173 million worldwide, so "Creed III" has already surpassed the worldwide take of the first installment.
Coming in at No. 3 was Sony's new sci-fi film, "65," starring Adam Driver. The film opened to $12.3 million after it was torn apart by critics, scoring 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. Considering the film's $45 million budget, it will need some decent staying power in the coming weeks to break even.
"Scream VI" stars Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Dermot Mulroney, Hayden Panettiere, Mason Gooding, Jack Champions, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Josh Segarra, and also the aforementioned Cox. It's playing now in theaters.
