Paramount and Miramax’s Scary Movie reboot opened to a franchise-record $55m at the US box office, marking the strongest debut in the series’ 26-year history.
The film led a generally strong weekend for cinemas, with the overall domestic box office estimated at $183.2m, the second-best post-pandemic performance for the same period.
Industry data showed the comedy outperformed previous franchise entries and delivered Paramount’s biggest-ever opening for a comedy film, surpassing Jackass 3D.
The movie, reportedly produced for around $30m, also marked a return for the Wayans brothers to the long-running parody franchise, which last saw entries in the early 2000s.
Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe opened in second place with $29.3m, falling short of expectations for the $170m production. The film faced comparisons to other high-budget releases that struggled to match their costs at opening weekend.
A24’s Backrooms dropped sharply in its second weekend but still added $25.9m, taking its total to about $135m, while Focus Features’ Obsession continued its strong run with $25.6m in its fourth week.
Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act debuted with $21m over its opening frame, contributing to an overall boost in cinema attendance across multiple releases.
Analysts said the strong weekend underscored renewed momentum for theatrical releases, with May marking the first billion-dollar month at the US box office since 2019.
Rentrak’s Paul Dergarabedian said the performance had set up a strong start to the summer season, calling it a “momentum-building” period for cinemas.
Year-to-date box office figures reached nearly $4bn, placing the industry more than 13% ahead of the same period last year.
Erizia Rubyjeana
