‘Scream 7’ Box Office Opening Weekend Sets Franchise Record

After countless delays and setbacks during production, Paramount finally returned to the Scream franchise in Feb. 2026 with the release of Scream 7. The film finds a retired Sidney Prescott living with her family in Pine Grove, where her teenage daughter is targeted by new Ghostface killers amid a growing conspiracy hinting that original killer Stu Macher survived after a TV landed on him in the first Scream movie.This franchise has already broken franchise box office records with recent efforts, including 2023’s Scream 6, but the controversy and drama surrounding the sequel have put its potential success into question.The newest Scream entry premiered on the big screen on February 27, making its mark on the box office charts. According to Variety, Scream 7 grossed $64.1 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. This shatters the record for the biggest domestic opening weekend in franchise history, previously held by Scream 6 ($44.4 million in 2023); it also grossed $33.1 million overseas, for a global total of $97.2 million.

This total was enough to give Paramount its first No. 1 release at the box office in a year, breaking a drought for the studio that started after Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder’s Novacaine won out in Mar. 2025. Reports initially predicted an opening weekend of $40-45 million domestically, but these numbers far exceeded expectations ahead of its debut.

Ahead is a list of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the weekend (Feb. 27-Mar. 1), as reported by The Numbers:

Scream 7 – $64,100,000
GOAT – $12,000,000
Wuthering Heights – $6,952,000
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert – $3,505,000
Crime 101 – $3,421,456
I Can Only Imagine 2 – $3,135,000
Send Help – $2,282,000
How to Make a Killing – $1,562,513
Zootopia 2 – $1,438,000
Avatar: Fire and Ash – $1,240,000

Scream Franchise Alive & Well After the Success of ‘Scream 7’

Paramount Pictures

These numbers make it abundantly clear that Paramount still has one of the most successful horror franchises in the business, with Scream 7 breaking records upon its debut. The latest addition pushed the Scream franchise past $1 billion in global earnings, as it looks to become the sixth of seven movies to gross over $100 million globally (which should happen early in its second week in theaters). This also ranks Scream as the sixth-highest-grossing horror franchise in history, trailing only The Conjuring Universe, Alien, Resident Evil, It, and Saw.

Moving forward, Paramount knows it still has one of the most consistent series in the game, as plans were officially put in place for Scream 8 to go into development before Scream 7 made its debut. While story details for this new movie have not been confirmed yet, the film should only add to the Ghostface killer’s long legacy when it comes to theaters sometime in the next few years.

As we enter March, Scream 7 faces some tough competition at the box office, as Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride and Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers both make their theatrical debuts on March 6. While it will be tough for the Scream sequel to top the box office for a second weekend in a row, Paramount is obviously hoping it remains competitive on its way to becoming one of the biggest horror hits of the year.

Scream 7 is now playing in theaters worldwide.