Nostalgia weaponized: How 'Scary Movie' rejects the passing of the torch even after 13 years of break

Highlights:

• Scary Movie opened with $55 million in North America.
• The film earned $105.5 million worldwide in its first weekend.
• Masters of the Universe debuted with $54.3 million globally.
• Obsession passed $200 million worldwide.
• Backrooms became A24’s highest-grossing movie ever.

After 13 years away from theaters, the Scary Movie franchise has returned with its strongest opening weekend ever. The comedy sequel led the box office and outperformed Masters of the Universe during its debut weekend.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scary Movie earned $55 million in North America. The film also brought in another $50.5 million from international markets. That gave it a worldwide opening total of $105.5 million.

The strong start already puts the film ahead of the lifetime earnings of Scary Movie 5, which made $78.4 million worldwide. It has also passed Scary Movie 2, which earned $141.2 million globally. The new film is now closing in on Scary Movie 4, which finished its run with $178.7 million worldwide.

The sixth movie serves as a soft reboot for the franchise. Marketing played a major role in building excitement before release. Interest grew steadily after the first trailer was released. The return of the Wayans, Anna Faris, and Regina Hall also helped attract longtime fans. Their involvement helped make the movie feel like a true continuation of the series.

Recent horror films also provided plenty of material for the writers to parody. While reviews for the film have not been particularly strong, that has never been unusual for the Scary Movie franchise. Word of mouth appeared to be more important than critical reaction. Given the film’s successful launch, more entries in the series could follow in the coming years, similar to franchises such as Scream and Final Destination.

Meanwhile, Masters of the Universe had a much quieter opening. The film earned $29.3 million in North America and another $25 million from international markets. Its worldwide total reached $54.3 million.

Despite the lower numbers, Amazon MGM does not appear concerned. Kevin Wilson, the company’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, told press that the film’s opening “validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window.” In other words, it’s fine if the movie doesn’t really land on the big screen with audiences, not when it can easily find a second life on Prime Video. Enough of a life to justify a potential sequel? Who can say.

Other horror titles continued to perform well. Obsession crossed the $200 million mark worldwide and became the highest-grossing Focus movie ever. Backrooms also remained strong. The film reached $212 million worldwide in its second weekend and became the highest-grossing release in A24’s history. This happened despite a 70% drop in domestic earnings. Obsession, by comparison, saw only a 7 per cent decline in its fourth weekend.

The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act also delivered solid results. The film earned $20.7 million domestically. It was originally planned for a four-day theatrical run, but that was later extended to two weeks. Additional screenings were also added in other countries and regions. At the time of writing, its international performance remains unclear, but the release appears to have been successful for Glitch and its fanbase.

Attention will now turn to the next major releases arriving in theaters. Disclosure Day and The Furious are scheduled to open on June 12.