Scream 7 launched in theaters on Friday with a strong $28.8 million opening day, including $7.5 million in previews, setting a new franchise benchmark. The film, directed by Kevin Williamson, follows Sidney Prescott as she faces Ghostface in her quiet small-town life. Despite production challenges, including cast and director changes, the movie eyes a $60 million-plus debut.
Scream 7, the seventh installment in the slasher franchise, grossed $28.8 million on its opening Friday from 3,540 North American theaters, according to studio estimates. This includes $7.5 million from Thursday previews, marking the highest preview earnings in the series' history. Paramount and Spyglass project a three-day total exceeding $60 million, surpassing the previous record set by Scream VI's $44.4 million opening in 2023.
The film reunites Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, who has relocated to the small town of Pine Grove with her husband Mark Evans (Joel McHale) and daughter Tatum (Isabel May) for a peaceful existence. Ghostface returns, initially impersonating the original killer Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) using AI deepfakes to taunt Sidney. The plot reveals the mastermind as Sidney's neighbor and friend Jessica Bowden (Anna Camp), who became obsessed after reading Sidney's book Out of Darkness, which inspired her to kill her abusive husband. Feeling abandoned by Sidney's absence in the New York events of Scream VI, Bowden planned the attacks from a mental health facility with allies Marco (Ethan Embry) and Karl (Kraig Dane).
The cast includes returning originals Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, David Arquette, and Matthew Lillard, alongside Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Mckenna Grace, and others. Directed by original Scream writer Kevin Williamson, the production faced hurdles in 2024, including the departures of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, and director Christopher Landon. Campbell returned after a pay dispute that sidelined her from Scream VI, receiving $7 million.
Previous directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed Scream and Scream VI, shared in an Entertainment Weekly interview that their unrealized vision aimed to push boundaries intensely. Bettinelli-Olpin said, “How hard can we go with this? ... ‘Scream 7’s’ going to fuck you up.” Gillett added ideas for an ultra-contained, minute-to-minute story contrasting Scream VI's urban scope.
Audience reception shows a PostTrak definite recommend of 61%, with 56% attending for the franchise and 30% for the cast. CinemaScore is B-, while critics gave it 38% on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences 79%. The film plays in IMAX and ScreenX for the first time, contributing to 40% of ticket sales from premium formats. The budget was $45 million net before marketing, co-financed equally by Spyglass and Paramount.
