Paramount’sScreamsequel (requel?) scared away not just the looming threat of the Omicron variant, but also reigning championSpider-Man: No Way Home, as it claimed the top spot at the weekend box office with a $13.3 million Friday haul. The horror film, directed by Radio Silence duoMatt Bettinelli-OlpinandTyler Gillett, is expected to make around $31.5 million in its three-day debut, and $36 million over the extended four-day MLK weekend.
This is poised to best the previous MLK weekend record for a horror picture, which was held byAndy Muschietti’sMama.Scream’s three-day opening is in the same range as its predecessors’—Scream 2opened to $32.9 million back in 1997;Scream 3made $34.7 in 2000;Scream 4, however, couldn’t crack $20 million in its opening weekend in 2011.
Unlike the fourthScream, which was the final film in the franchise to be directed by the lateWes Craven, the new one doesn’t have a hefty budget to recoup. When the dust settles, the newScreamcould earn more in its extended weekend that whatScream 4made in its entire domestic run. This is an especially good result for a film that is reportedly budgeted at around $25 million. Not only is this a potential win for the deep-in-the-muck Paramount, but further validation of the talents of Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, who broke out in a big way with their tongue-in-cheek filmReady or Not.
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Horror sequels are proving to be an unusually safe programming bet during the pandemic. Paramount previously tasted victory with the $47.5 million debut ofA Quiet Place: Part II. Universal’sHalloween Killsdid even better, with a $49.4 million opening just a few months ago.
Four-time championSpider-Man: No Way Homemade $5.1 million on Friday, for an estimated three-day haul of $21.4 million, and $26.7 million across four days.No Way Homealso raced past fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe hitBlack Pantheron the all-time chart. With an estimated $705 million domestically, the superhero extravaganza is now the fourth-highest grossing film of all time, behindAvatar,Avengers: EndgameandStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
Universal’sSing 2is headed for an $11.4 million extended weekend, with $8.5 million over three days, and $1.7 million on Friday, for a third place finish. The animated sequel’s running domestic total is an impressive $122 million, made more praise-worthy because the movie’s already available on digital.Sing 2became the first animated feature to crack $100 million at the domestic box office since Disney’sFrozen IIin 2019.
DirectorMatthew Vaughn’s spy prequelThe King’s Mancontinued to struggle, with an estimated holiday weekend haul of just $2.9 million, for a fourth place finish. The film’s running domestic total is hovering around $30 million, which is a massive fall after two films that collectively made over $800 million worldwide. The fifth spot was claimed by directorSimon Kinberg’s female-led ensemble pieceThe 355, which is estimated to make $2.8 million over four days, in what will surely be a neck-to-neck finish between the two underperforming spy films.
It’s going to be smooth sailing forScreamfor at least a couple of weeks, untilRoland Emmerich’s disaster filmMoonfalland the fourthJackassmovie arrive in theaters on the first weekend of February, like it’s the mid-2000s all over again.
