"Scream" Is Already A Box Office Success After Swiping The Top Spot From "No Way Home" — Here's Why That's So Important

With its success at the box office, there could be more sequels and a revival of the slasher genre on the horizon.

By
Ben Henry
by Ben Henry

BuzzFeed Staff

The much-anticipated return of Ghostface has already been a huge success, with Scream swiping the top spot at the box office from Marvel juggernaut No Way Home.

Paramount Pictures

The legendary slasher franchise returned to screens for the first time in more than a decade and has almost immediately earned more domestically than its predecessor's entire theatrical run.

Paramount Pictures

Over the three-day weekend since Scream's release on Friday, the fifth installment of the franchise earned more than $30 million in the US alone. According to reports, it also took a further $18 million internationally.

Back in 2011, Scream 4 was something of a commercial flop, taking home $38 million in the US and a further $59 million internationally, making it the poorest performing movie of the franchise at the time and the only one not to breach the $100 million mark.

Critics and fans alike have already lauded the return of the franchise, with Scream receiving some of its highest scores to date on Rotten Tomatoes.

Paramount Pictures

Critics gave the 2022 film 75%, which ranks behind the first movie (79%) and Scream 2 (81%). Meanwhile, audiences gave it 84%, the highest of any Scream movie so far.

With a strong outing in its first weekend, Scream was able to topple No Way Home from its perch, after the Marvel movie had dominated the box office since December.

Sony / Marvel

With the early success of Scream, there's already talk amongst fans that further sequels could be in the works, particularly as there were reportedly plans for a follow-up to Scream 4 that were shelved following its poor performance.

Paramount Pictures

Apparently, director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson confirmed in 2011 that there would be a Scream 5 and 6 if the fourth movie was a success.

And it seems that the clear appetite for the genre could see a revival for slasher movies in general, with producer Jason Blum hinting at several potential projects.

Universal

In a Q&A on Twitter over the weekend, Jason responded to questions about a sequel to Happy Death Day. When someone asked if a third installment could be coming, he said: "Something is stirring. I will say that."

He also revealed that he wants to reboot the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises too. "Have been trying to make both for years," he tweeted. "Can't get rights."

But another important win for Scream is its success in the face of the ongoing pandemic, which has seen many movies bomb at the box office as audiences continue to be hesitant about returning to theaters in the face of surging COVID-19 cases.

Noam Galai / Getty Images

No Way Home gave some promise, becoming not only the highest-grossing movie since the pandemic began, but also one of the highest-grossing movies period. However, it also highlighted the fact that many non-superhero movies are struggling to break through, with last year's top four movies in the US all having some connection to Marvel.

Looking back for comparison, 29 movies managed to breach the $100 million mark domestically in 2019, compared to just five in 2020. Last year proved that things are slowly getting back on track, with 11 movies taking home more than $100 million in the US, offering hope for 2022.

Correction: Producer Jason Blum's name was misstated in a previous version of this post.

Topics in this article

Skip to footer