On Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, “Scream 7” topped the box office over last week’s champion “Wuthering Heights,” grossing $28.8 million from 3,540 locations across North America. Spyglass and Paramount are hoping for $60 million through the weekend marking the best debut in the history of the series.
‘Scream 7’
As the 30th anniversary approaches, the seventh installment of the series sees the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott after she relocates to Pine Grove. The small town promises a quiet life with her daughter until Ghostface attempts to burn it all to the ground.
Original cast members Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Isabel May, and David Arquette, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, McKenna Grace, Joel McHale, and Anna Camp join Campbell.
From Script to Screen
The move from script to screen for “Scream 7” was a rough road with many twists. The cast lost Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera. The creative team survived a shake-up that led to original “Scream” writer Kevin Williamson replace Christopher Landon as director, and Paramount and Spyglass paid $7 million for Campbell’s return. A pay dispute kept her from the cast of “Scream 6.”
Reviews
The first reviews of the newest installment online are met with mixed appreciation, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Some reviews see this sequel as a comeback for the series after the last few movies, while others see the franchise seeking relevance.
Kristy Puchko with Mashable says,”The Scream franchise just got fun again… Scream 7 is a return to form.
“Scream 7 doesn’t just wink at the long-time fans, who are greedily eying every frame for Easter eggs. It waves at us with a fervent reminder that knowing about these movies doesn’t mean you’d survive them.”
Pete Hammond with Deadline Hollywood Daily asserts: “It may have taken 30 years for Williamson to finally get to steer his own ship, but with Scream 7, it proves well worth the wait. Fans will approve.
“What makes this franchise so appealing is… a wall-worn formula that still works and keeps us guessing in classing murder-mystery fiction.”
The Wrap’s William Bibbiani writes, “It’s one heck of an apology to Neve Campbell. Almost every scene is about how important Sidney Prescott is.
There are at least two kills which rank among the best, or at least goriest, in the series, but most come and go with little fanfare.”
Taylor Williams with Slant Magazine reports, “Scream 7 operates as an exercise in what those films are ironically lacking: horror filmmaking fundamentals.”
The AU Review’s Peter Gray says, “The film commits to the mystery structure with admirable patience.
“It winks knowingly at its own formula – particularly during the killer’s inevitable motive monologue, which is delivered with an almost gleeful self-awareness.
“The gore is deployed with mischievous creativity… A brutal dispatch involving a beer tap stands out as one of the series’ more memorably grisly moments.”
Cain Noble-Davies with FILMINK states, “For a film series that’s been consistently forward-thinking and made by those who don’t just love horror, but study horror, it’s quite the letdown.
“Although [the] kill sequences are never as stylish as those in the previous two films, they’re often more impactful for their simplicity and brutality.”
Doug Jamieson with The Jam Report talks about the kills, “Several kills rank among the most violent in the series.
“Ghostface still knows how to stage great jump scares that feel earned rather than cheaply thrown in.”
Sources:
Variety: Box Office: ‘Scream 7’ Kills With $28.8 Million on Opening Day
Rotten Tomatoes: Scream 7 First Reviews: Neve Campbell is Fierce in Brutal but Familiar
Deadline: ‘Scream 7’ Shrieking At Record Decibels With Franchise-Best $60M+ Debut – Box Office
Featured Image Courtesy of Miguel Castaneda’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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