More than a decade after the last instalment left fans disappointed, the Scary Movie franchise has made an incredible comeback. The sixth film in the beloved horror-parody series, produced by Miramax and distributed by Paramount Pictures, debuted to a franchise-best $105.5 million globally in its opening weekend, firmly planting itself at the top of the worldwide box office charts.
Miramax financed Scary Movie for a lean $30 million, making the film’s performance an extraordinary return on investment. According to Variety, the opening not only set a new franchise record but also bested the previous domestic best set by Scary Movie 4 back in 2006.
A record-breaking domestic and international debut
The film landed at No. 1 at the domestic box office with an estimated $55 million in ticket sales during its debut weekend, from 3,490 locations. Internationally, as per Deadline, the film added $50.5 million across 53 markets — a figure 75% larger than the franchise’s prior international best, which had been held by Scary Movie 3.
The film ranked No. 1 in 95% of its overseas footprint, with top international markets including the UK and Germany at $5.5 million each, Brazil at $5.1 million, France at $3.2 million, and Australia at $2.7 million according to The Hollywood Reporter
Box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes the industry newsletter FranchiseRe, described it as “an outstanding opening for a comedy sequel this far into its series,” adding that it represented “a huge bounce-back” after the 2013 instalment struggled following the absence of Anna Faris and Regina Hall.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film also outpaced Scream 7, which had opened to $97 million worldwide earlier this year, making it one of the top horror-adjacent launches of 2026 so far.
The reunion that powered the comeback
A significant part of the film’s appeal was the return of its original core team. The Wayans brothers — Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory — who created the parody franchise that launched in 2000, wrote the script for the new film, directed by Michael Tiddes.
Crucially, Anna Faris and Regina Hall reprise their roles as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, respectively — a reunion 25 years in the making, as Hall and Faris had sat out Scary Movie 5 in 2013.
Audience data from Paramount showed that 88% of viewers described themselves as fans of the franchise and 90% had seen a previous Scary Movie. The under-35 demographic made up 78% of the opening weekend audience, while diversity figures showed 37% Latino and Hispanic viewers leading, followed by 36% Caucasian and 21% Black audiences.
According to Variety, the film’s success has already sparked chatter about future projects. With the release reuniting the core creative team for the first time since Scary Movie 2 in 2001, and a cumulative franchise box office nearing $900 million worldwide, the door is firmly open for what comes next.
