'Scream VI' Beats 'Creed III' in Battle of the Sequels
by EG
In the battle over which franchise would win the weekend box office, horror sequel Scream 6 came out on top of boxing sequel Creed III. The competition wasn't particularly close, but Creed held on for an impressive second weekend after taking the top slot last weekend. Now the question is how both sequels will do against next week's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Read on for details.
Scream VI scared up a franchise-best $44.5 million opening from 3,675 theaters at the domestic box office, easily enough to win Oscar weekend.
The Paramount and Spyglass film -- earning strong exits and receiving a B+ CinemaScore -- was fueled by moviegoers between the ages of 18 and 34 (71 percent), particularly by those between the ages of 18 and 24 (42 percent). The gender mix was almost even (51 percent male, 49 percent female).
On Saturday, 32 percent of all foot traffic was for Scream VI, followed by 24 percent for Creed III, according to EntTelligence.
The last Scream film, released in January 2022, opened to $30 million domestically in an impressive showing for the pandemic era. The biggest North American start of the franchise belongs to 2000’s Scream 3 ($34.7 million), not adjusted for inflation.
The R-rated pic also impressed overseas, opening to a series-best $22.6 million from 53 markets for a worldwide start of $67.1 million. (Horror movies don’t always travel so well.)
Scream VI, which cost a reported $33 million to make before marketing, follows survivors of last year’s installment as they leave Woodsboro for New York City. Unfortunately, the menacing killer Ghostface isn’t far behind. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who run Radio Silence Productions with Chad Villella, returned to direct.
Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox star alongside franchise newbies Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra and Samara Weaving.
MGM and Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III followed at No. 2 with an impressive $27.2 million from 4,007 locations for a respectable decline of 53 percent. The pic jumped the century mark domestically in just 10 days and finished Sunday with a total of $101.4 million.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.