Scary Movie Tops Box Office with $105.5M Global Debut

Scary Movie arrived and the box office noticed. Short. Sharp. Loud.

Paramount and Miramax scored a surprise hit in their opening weekend, as Scary Movie pulled in $55 million domestically — the franchise's strongest launch yet. It leaned into familiar gags and timing, and audiences rewarded the throwback energy.

Abroad, the picture earned an additional $50.5 million, bringing the worldwide total to $105.5 million in week one. Not bad for a film built on riffs and nostalgia. The math is simple: familiarity sells, especially when it’s delivered with a wink.

Not every new release had the same momentum. Masters of the Universe landed in second place with a modest $29.3 million at home and $25 million overseas, tallying $54.3 million worldwide. Big expectations met middling returns, leaving industry watchers asking whether brand recognition is enough anymore.

Backrooms has had a different arc. After a colossal debut the previous week, it suffered a 70 percent drop but still managed $25.9 million domestically this weekend, pushing its U.S. total to $135 million. International receipts added $24.1 million, producing a two-week global haul of $212.6 million — another feather in A24's cap.

Close behind, the thriller Obsession posted $25.6 million this weekend. Its domestic run now stands at $152.1 million, while overseas ticket sales of $17.7 million lift its global tally to $224.8 million. The film’s steady legs suggest word of mouth is doing the heavy lifting.

Rounding out the top ten, newcomers and holdovers mixed it up: Amazing Digital Circus opened with $19.7 million; The Mandalorian and Grogu brought in $10 million this weekend, sitting at $293.6 million worldwide; Michael added $7.7 million to reach $888 million globally; The Breadwinner earned $3.4 million (total $13.8 million); Pressure pulled $3 million (total $11.2 million); and Devil Wears Prada 2 posted $2.8 million, with a cumulative $663.5 million worldwide.

Numbers tell more than placement. They reveal which titles carried cultural momentum, which relied on built-in fanbases, and which still need time to find an audience. So what will the next weekend look like? The real answer is in the theater lines — and that’s where stories keep getting written.