How Much ‘Scream 7’ Needs To Make at the Box Office To Profit

Audiences like scary movies, or at least they like the Scream franchise. Since the release of 2022’s Scream marked the long-awaited return of the franchise, the series has been as big as during the original trilogy of the 1990s. Starting with 2022’s Scream, each new film in the franchise has opened bigger than its predecessor, with the recent Scream 7 setting a franchise opening weekend record.

Scream 7‘s opening weekend was good news following the controversy surrounding the film, including the firing of star Melissa Barrera in 2023 and the departures of Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon. With Scream 7 being the most expensive film in the franchise, did the opening weekend record manage to make up for the cost? Is Scream 7 profitable, and how does it compare to previous films in the franchise?

‘Scream 7’ Is Already Profitable

Scream 7 opened to $64 million domestically in its opening weekend, breaking the franchise’s biggest opening record set by Scream VI, which opened to $44 million back in 2023. What led to the $20 million bump is unclear. Was it the momentum built up from the good word of mouth from Scream and Scream VI? Was it the novelty of centering the film on Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott returning? Was it because Scream 7 was the first Scream movie to be released in IMAX, thereby getting a boost from those more expensive ticket sales? Who can say? What matters is the final number, and Scream 7‘s hot start is impressive for a 30-year-old horror franchise.

Scream 7‘s opening weekend is particularly strong, given that it’s the most expensive Scream film. Scream 7 has a reported budget of $45 million, with at least $7 million of that going to returning star Neve Campbell and $2 million to Courtney Cox. Scream 7 has at least recouped its budget on paper in its opening weekend. With the opening-weekend profits typically split 50/50 between theaters and studios, that suggests Paramount Pictures has at least made $32 million on Scream 7 in just three days. Combine that with its $94 million worldwide opening weekend, and it looks like Scream 7 will be profitable in the theatrical window. Except for Scream 4, every entry in the Scream franchise has made back its budget at the domestic box office.

‘Scream 7’ Second Weekend Challenge

Scream 7 had an incredible opening weekend, no doubt there. But the question is, how well will the movie perform in its second weekend? Word of mouth on Scream 7 is more mixed to negative than previous installments. With a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score, it is the franchise’s worst-reviewed film. It isn’t just critics who were cool on Scream 7, as audiences did not respond as favorably. Scream 7 earned a B- CinemaScore. While a B- CinemaScore is good for horror movies, it is on the lower end of the Scream franchise. It is below the B CinemaScore rating for Scream and Scream VI, and tied with Scream 4 as the lowest-rated audience score in the franchise.

Scream VI had a 61% drop in its second weekend, and 2022’s Scream had a 59.3% drop. Those numbers would be rather safe for Scream 7. A worst-case scenario would be what happened to 2009’s Friday the 13th, which saw a massive $40.5 opening weekend, on an actual Friday the 13th in February. This meant audiences rushed out to see it on opening day/weekend, with the film dropping 80% in its second weekend. Hopefully, the same does not happen for Scream 7, because a drop that steep could potentially mean it struggles to catch up to the $108 million domestic gross of Scream VI, the highest-grossing film in the franchise not adjusted for inflation.

Scream 7 drew audiences out in the opening weekend, but will the word of mouth make the film more frontloaded? March kicks off with both Pixar’s Hoppers and Warner Bros.’ The Bride!, both of which will take over Scream 7’s IMAX screens. The Bride!, in particular, will serve as horror movie counter-programming for Scream 7.

Scream 7 is a box office hit. Paramount Pictures is certainly happy as it was their first number-one film at the box office in nearly a year since Novacaine in March 2025. Though the full box office story will likely be written in its second weekend. Whatever happens, it is a safe bet that Scream 8 will likely be announced soon.

Release Date

February 27, 2026

Runtime

114 Minutes

Producers

William Sherak, Paul Neinstein