Paramount’s Scream 7 jolted the 2026 box office back to life with a franchise-best $64.1 million opening weekend, powering the overall marketplace to $110.8 million across all films in release.
After a strong start to the year, box office momentum had cooled significantly. The industry’s year-over-year lead shrank from a 28 percent advantage after three weeks to just 3 percent after eight. This weekend marked a decisive turnaround, easily outperforming the same frame last year when Captain America: Brave New World earned $14.9 million in its third weekend and total ticket sales reached only $54.5 million.
We expect Scream 7 to kick off a strong finish to the first quarter, with Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers and Warner Bros.’ The Bride is opening next weekend, followed by Universal’s Reminders of Him on March 13 and Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary on March 20. If momentum holds, the quarter could close 22 percent ahead of last year’s Q1.
FIRST PLACE
Scream 7 is the latest chapter in the 29-year-old horror franchise that began in 1996. Prior to this weekend, the six films had earned $521.7 million domestically and $912.4 million worldwide. With its record debut, Scream 7 pushes the series past $1 billion globally, placing it among rare horror company.
For comparison, The Conjuring Universe has generated $2.3 billion across nine films, Alien stands at $2.0 billion from seven entries, Resident Evil at $1.3 billion, It at $1.2 billion from two films, and Saw has reached $1.0 billion across ten installments.
Remarkably, Scream continues to grow with age. Scream VI set a franchise domestic record in 2023 with $108.4 million, and Scream 7 is on track to surpass that figure. Few long-running franchises strengthen over time, but Scream is bucking that trend.
Kevin Williamson returns to direct after writing the original Scream. Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sidney Prescott after sitting out Scream VI due to a salary dispute. Following negotiations, Campbell reportedly secured compensation in line with other horror franchise leads, aligning her pay with figures reported for Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween and Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring.
The film has a $40 million production budget and will need approximately $100 million in worldwide box office to break even on theatrical revenue alone. That benchmark is effectively secured after its massive domestic launch.
Critically, Scream 7 has faced headwinds, earning a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest in the franchise’s history. Audiences, however, are more forgiving, awarding it a 78 percent rating. Horror films frequently prove resilient to mixed reviews, and box office results suggest fans remain fully engaged.
SECOND PLACE
Sony’s animated sports comedy Goat finished second in its third weekend with $12.0 million, down 29 percent from last weekend. The film has now reached $74.0 million domestically and $130.5 million worldwide after 17 days.
With limited family competition aside from the long-running Zootopia 2, Goat has held well. However, it will face significant pressure next weekend from Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers. With an $80 million production budget, Goat likely needs around $200 million in global ticket sales to reach profitability. It has a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and strong word of mouth may help, but upcoming competition will be decisive.
THIRD PLACE
Warner Bros.’ Wuthering Heights placed third with $7.0 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $73.4 million and worldwide gross to $192.0 million.
The romantic drama is pacing toward a projected $210 million global finish, far outpacing the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. In a marketplace where adult-skewing dramas have struggled post-pandemic, Wuthering Heights offers a promising sign that audiences 25 and older may be returning to theaters.
FOURTH PLACE
Trafalgar’s concert film Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined debuted in fourth place with $3.7 million from 836 locations. Produced for an estimated $3 million, the film is already positioned for profitability, particularly when factoring in streaming and ancillary revenue.
The film captures the duo’s February 2025 stadium performance in Mexico City and includes behind-the-scenes footage and personal reflections. Audiences have embraced it, awarding a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
FIFTH PLACE
Neon’s Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert entered the top five in its second weekend, earning $3.5 million after expanding from 325 to 1,940 locations. The film, built from restored archival concert footage, holds strong Rotten Tomatoes scores of 96 percent from critics and 99 percent from audiences.
Produced for $11 million, Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert is benefiting from strong word-of-mouth and premium-format presentations, including IMAX with Laser.
YEAR TO DATE
After eight weeks, the 2026 domestic box office stands at $965.6 million. That figure represents:
103 percent of 2025
125 percent of 2024
98 percent of 2023
73 percent of pre-pandemic 2019 levels
With Scream 7 injecting new energy into the marketplace and several major releases ahead, the industry appears poised for a strong close to the first quarter.
| Title | Weekend Estimate | % Change | Locations | Location Change | PSA | Domestic Total | Week | Distributor |
| Scream 7 | $64,100,000 | 3,540 | $18,107 | 64,100,000 | 1 | Paramount | ||
| GOAT | $12,000,000 | -29% | 3,707 | -156 | $3,237 | 73,985,000 | 3 | Sony Pictures |
| “Wuthering Heights” | $6,952,000 | -50% | 3,221 | -461 | $2,158 | 72,345,000 | 3 | Warner Bros. |
| EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert | $3,505,000 | 9% | 1,940 | $1,807 | 7,825,335 | 2 | Neon | |
| Crime 101 | $3,421,456 | -38% | 2,607 | -554 | $1,312 | 30,067,868 | 3 | Amazon MGM |
| I Can Only Imagine 2 | $3,135,000 | -60% | 3,105 | n/c | $1,010 | 13,261,000 | 2 | Lionsgate |
| Send Help | $2,282,000 | -48% | 2,500 | -300 | $913 | 59,403,729 | 5 | 20th Century |
| How to Make a Killing | $1,562,513 | -55% | 1,726 | 101 | $905 | 6,289,203 | 2 | A24 |
| Zootopia 2 | $1,438,000 | -35% | 1,350 | -470 | $1,065 | 425,842,244 | 14 | Walt Disney |
| Avatar: Fire and Ash | $1,240,000 | -30% | 1,225 | -110 | $1,012 | 401,245,883 | 11 | 20th Century… |
| Solo Mio | $1,227,924 | -48% | 1,500 | -800 | $819 | 24,037,112 | 4 | Angel Studios |
| Uma Musume: Pretty Derby — Beginning of a New E… | $900,000 | 600 | $1,500 | 900,000 | 1 | GAGA Corpora… | ||
| Pillion | $701,516 | 22% | 357 | 268 | $1,965 | 2,500,158 | 4 | A24 |
| Dracula | $550,547 | -58% | 626 | -649 | $879 | 12,532,980 | 4 | Vertical Ent… |
| Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | $344,375 | -39% | 191 | -193 | $1,803 | 3,091,854 | 3 | Neon |
| Psycho Killer | $300,000 | -81% | 1,100 | n/c | $273 | 2,363,827 | 2 | 20th Century… |
| Blades of the Guardians | $229,868 | -70% | 83 | -101 | $2,769 | 1,206,991 | 2 | Well Go USA |
| Midwinter Break | $200,000 | -61% | 808 | n/c | $248 | 913,000 | 2 | Focus Features |
| Hamnet | $155,000 | -29% | 285 | -16 | $544 | 23,387,000 | 14 | Focus Features |
| Marty Supreme | $139,295 | -48% | 245 | -99 | $569 | 95,277,450 | 11 | A24 |
| Sirat | $118,302 | 10% | 41 | 18 | $2,885 | 551,364 | 16 | Neon |
| Kokuho | $100,355 | -76% | 100 | -161 | $1,004 | 886,897 | 16 | GKIDS |
| Dreams | $95,000 | 188 | $505 | 95,000 | 1 | Greenwich | ||
| HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Interactive M… | $83,276 | 15 | $5,552 | 83,276 | 1 | GKIDS | ||
| The Secret Agent | $57,500 | 11% | 120 | -93 | $479 | 3,981,155 | 14 | Neon |
| Sentimental Value | $26,000 | 18% | 120 | -58 | $217 | 5,081,866 | 17 | Neon |
| No Other Choice | $24,992 | -68% | 25 | -25 | $1,000 | 10,013,756 | 10 | Neon |
| A Poet | $18,052 | 27% | 36 | 17 | $501 | 206,784 | 5 | 1-2 Special |
| Natchez | 16,401 | -48% | 10 | -5 | $1,640 | 133,623 | 17 | Oscilloscope… |
| The Moment | $11,668 | -84% | 20 | -87 | $583 | 3,853,608 | 5 | A24 |
| For Worse | $10,908 | 2 | $5,454 | 10,908 | 1 | Brainstorm M… | ||
| OBEX | 1,054 | 2 | $527 | 46,856 | 8 | Oscilloscope… |
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