Scary Movie revival posts $7.5 million previews, nears Scream 7 record

Scary Movie arrived with $7.5 million in Thursday night previews, a number that put the revived spoof franchise within striking distance of the Scream 7 benchmark and gave Paramount an early sign that familiar horror IP still has pull in theaters.

The previews began at 2 p.m., a useful read on walk-up demand before the weekend rush. Deadline said the film was tracking toward a $40 million domestic opening and about $70 million worldwide, figures that would mark a strong return for a comedy-horror title in a market crowded with franchise plays.

Paramount Pictures has the film opening in theaters on June 5, 2026, and is positioning it as a reunion for Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris and Regina Hall. The new installment brings the Core Four back into Ghostface’s crosshairs 26 years after the original setup, while Paramount has framed the movie as proof that “no horror movie IP is safe.” The reboot also adds Damon Wayans Jr., Heidi Gardner, Cheri Oteri and Chris Elliott, widening the cast beyond the original quartet.

The opening-night result matters because Scary Movie was last seen in 2013 with Scary Movie 5, and the five films have collectively grossed nearly $900 million worldwide. That history gives the new release a built-in recognition advantage, but the size of the preview figure also points to a broader question for theaters: whether audiences are responding to brand familiarity, weak competition, or the chance to see a comedy-horror hybrid that has largely disappeared from multiplexes.

The comparison point is Scream 7, which also posted $7.5 million in previews before opening to $64.1 million domestically and $97.2 million worldwide. Against that backdrop, Scary Movie’s early haul suggests that nostalgia-driven horror revivals can still generate urgency when the title is instantly recognizable and the fan base knows exactly what kind of spectacle is being sold.

The same weekend also brought Masters of the Universe into the frame. The Hollywood Reporter said Scary Movie moved onto June 5 to square off against the remake, and The Numbers lists Masters of the Universe as a 2026 live-action remake running 132 minutes and produced by Mattel Entertainment and Amazon MGM Studios. With those titles colliding in the same frame, the opening-night numbers offered an early test of whether theatrical comedy can still break through in a franchise-heavy box office.