‘Spider-Man’ Finally Meets His Match As ‘Scream’ Reboot Scares Up A $30.6 Million No. 1 Debut
After a full month atop the charts and a string of shattered box-office records in its wake, Spider-Man: No Way Home was finally toppled from its box-office throne over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The culprit: A reboot of (or sequel to, take your pick) the seemingly dead-and-buried Scream horror franchise, which seemed to gasp its last breath after the disappointing Scream 4 just over a decade ago. With returning stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, the fifth Ghostface meta-chiller, simply titled Scream, scared up $30.6 million during its opening weekend and is projected to earn $35 million by the time the Monday holiday is factored in.
When the first Scream debuted back in 1996, it was a surprise hit with teenage ticket-buyers and horror aficionados who appreciated its one-two punch as both a bloody good slasher movie and a send-up of that genre thanks to original director Wes Craven. Twenty-five years and three diminishing-returns sequels later, no one was quite sure what to expect with 2022’s Scream. Was there anything left to squeeze out of this jokey body-count franchise? This weekend we finally got the answer: A resounding yes. With a production budget of just $25 million, Paramount’s new Scream already appears to be in the black—or close to it. With its $30.6 million haul between Friday and Sunday, the R-rated film earned an $8,351 per-screen average in 3,664 theaters. Internationally, the movie tacked on a negligible $310,000, bringing its worldwide three-day total to $30.9 million. Not surprisingly, it was younger audiences who turned out for the slasher sequel, with 67% of Scream’s audience falling into the 18-35 age demographic. Even with the ongoing COVID pandemic, the new Scream far exceeded its predecessor, Scream 4, which bowed to $18.7 million in April 2011.
In the runner-up spot was Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which raked in $20.8 million between Friday and Monday. It is projected to make $26 million by the end of the Monday holiday. In its fifth week of release, the PG-13-rated smash fell -36.2% from the previous frame and earned a $5,299 per-screen average at 3,925 locations. Spidey’s North American total now stands at $698.7 million, putting it now in fourth place on the list of the highest-grossing domestic releases of all time. The three films still ahead of the Tom Holland-led blockbuster are 2009’s Avatar ($760.5 million), 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($858.4 million), and 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII --The Force Awakens ($936.7 million).
In third place was Universal’s Sing 2 with $8.3 million between Friday and Sunday. It is projected to finish the long weekend with $11 million. The PG-rated sequel dipped -28.7% from the prior frame. Earning a $2,309 per-screen average in 3,581 theaters, the animated musical featuring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, and Bono has collected $119.4 million to date. Sing 2 has added $96.3 million internationally so far, bringing its four-week global total to $215.7 million. For comparison, the first Sing finished its run with $270.4 million domestically in 2016.
Finishing in fourth was Universal’s disappointing female-led thriller The 355 with an anemic $2.3 million between Friday and Sunday. In its sophomore weekend, the distaff espionage ensemble starring (Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing) continued its slump, slipping 49.4% from the prior frame. The PG-13-rated film is projected to pull in $2.8 million by the end of the long holiday weekend, only managing a $744 per-screen average in 3,125 theaters. Its two-week domestic box office total now stands at a brutal $8.4 million. Overseas, the film has added $2.6 million to date, pushing its combined worldwide total to $11 million.
Barely edged out for fourth place was the weekend’s fifth-highest grosser, 20th Century Studios’ The King’s Man, which, like The 355, also finished with $2.3 million between Friday and Sunday, but had slightly lower numbers in the columns further to the right. The R-rated origin story of the natty action franchise starring Ralph Fiennes dropped -28.1% from the previous weekend and earned a $923 per-screen average in 2,510 theaters. It is projected to make $3 million by the end of Monday. The King’s Man’s domestic box-office total now sits at $28.7 million. The movie has done more than double its North American business overseas, where it has rounded up $63.8 million, putting its cumulative global haul at $92.5 million.
Finally, finishing just outside of the running was the weekend’s only new debut of note. The anime import Belle bowed in sixth place. The PG-rated offering from GKIDS opened to $1.6 million between Friday and Monday, tallying a $1,241 per-screen average at 1,326 locations. It is expected to make $2 million by the end of the four-day holiday weekend and has a 95% fresh rating with both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, which chronicles the story of a teenage girl who enters a virtual world and becomes a singing sensation, has done solid business overseas, where it has already pulled in $58.3 million and counting.
When the first Scream debuted back in 1996, it was a surprise hit with teenage ticket-buyers and horror aficionados who appreciated its one-two punch as both a bloody good slasher movie and a send-up of that genre thanks to original director Wes Craven. Twenty-five years and three diminishing-returns sequels later, no one was quite sure what to expect with 2022’s Scream. Was there anything left to squeeze out of this jokey body-count franchise? This weekend we finally got the answer: A resounding yes. With a production budget of just $25 million, Paramount’s new Scream already appears to be in the black—or close to it. With its $30.6 million haul between Friday and Sunday, the R-rated film earned an $8,351 per-screen average in 3,664 theaters. Internationally, the movie tacked on a negligible $310,000, bringing its worldwide three-day total to $30.9 million. Not surprisingly, it was younger audiences who turned out for the slasher sequel, with 67% of Scream’s audience falling into the 18-35 age demographic. Even with the ongoing COVID pandemic, the new Scream far exceeded its predecessor, Scream 4, which bowed to $18.7 million in April 2011.
In the runner-up spot was Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which raked in $20.8 million between Friday and Monday. It is projected to make $26 million by the end of the Monday holiday. In its fifth week of release, the PG-13-rated smash fell -36.2% from the previous frame and earned a $5,299 per-screen average at 3,925 locations. Spidey’s North American total now stands at $698.7 million, putting it now in fourth place on the list of the highest-grossing domestic releases of all time. The three films still ahead of the Tom Holland-led blockbuster are 2009’s Avatar ($760.5 million), 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($858.4 million), and 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII --The Force Awakens ($936.7 million).
In third place was Universal’s Sing 2 with $8.3 million between Friday and Sunday. It is projected to finish the long weekend with $11 million. The PG-rated sequel dipped -28.7% from the prior frame. Earning a $2,309 per-screen average in 3,581 theaters, the animated musical featuring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, and Bono has collected $119.4 million to date. Sing 2 has added $96.3 million internationally so far, bringing its four-week global total to $215.7 million. For comparison, the first Sing finished its run with $270.4 million domestically in 2016.
Finishing in fourth was Universal’s disappointing female-led thriller The 355 with an anemic $2.3 million between Friday and Sunday. In its sophomore weekend, the distaff espionage ensemble starring (Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing) continued its slump, slipping 49.4% from the prior frame. The PG-13-rated film is projected to pull in $2.8 million by the end of the long holiday weekend, only managing a $744 per-screen average in 3,125 theaters. Its two-week domestic box office total now stands at a brutal $8.4 million. Overseas, the film has added $2.6 million to date, pushing its combined worldwide total to $11 million.
Barely edged out for fourth place was the weekend’s fifth-highest grosser, 20th Century Studios’ The King’s Man, which, like The 355, also finished with $2.3 million between Friday and Sunday, but had slightly lower numbers in the columns further to the right. The R-rated origin story of the natty action franchise starring Ralph Fiennes dropped -28.1% from the previous weekend and earned a $923 per-screen average in 2,510 theaters. It is projected to make $3 million by the end of Monday. The King’s Man’s domestic box-office total now sits at $28.7 million. The movie has done more than double its North American business overseas, where it has rounded up $63.8 million, putting its cumulative global haul at $92.5 million.
Finally, finishing just outside of the running was the weekend’s only new debut of note. The anime import Belle bowed in sixth place. The PG-rated offering from GKIDS opened to $1.6 million between Friday and Monday, tallying a $1,241 per-screen average at 1,326 locations. It is expected to make $2 million by the end of the four-day holiday weekend and has a 95% fresh rating with both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, which chronicles the story of a teenage girl who enters a virtual world and becomes a singing sensation, has done solid business overseas, where it has already pulled in $58.3 million and counting.
