The summer box office is booming — but not because of the usual suspects.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof “Scary Movie” topped ticket sales with $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily besting the far-from-mighty “Masters of the Universe.”A new order has lately come to movie theaters, which have seen Gen Z ticket buyers flock to the horror hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” both made by YouTubers-turned-filmmakers.Those movies have even outshone The Walt Disney Co.’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”This weekend, comedy was the underdog champ.
Though the genre has been all but left for dead in theaters, the sixth “Scary Movie” notched a franchise-best $105.5 million global launch.The Wayans brother comedy even outdid its primary satirical target, the “Scream” franchise.
Earlier this year, “Scream 7” debuted with $97 million worldwide.Both franchises are distributed by Paramount Pictures, though Miramax produced the new “Scary Movie.” Co-written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, the sequel marks the Wayans’ return to the franchise after their departure over creative differences following 2001’s “Scary Movie 2.”“This is an outstanding opening for a comedy sequel this far into the series,” said David A.Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe.
“It’s a huge bounceback after the last episode crashed in 2013 when Anna Faris and Regina Hall were excluded.The weekend figure is triple the average for the genre.”Reviews weren’t good (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “B” CinemaScore) were so-so.
But that didn’t stop the $30-million “Scary Movie” from dominating its much bigger budget competition.“Masters of the Universe,” a sword and sorcery action adventure based on the ...