Comedy is back at the box office — and it announced its return in spectacular fashion. The Scary Movie reboot opened to an estimated $56 million domestically in its first weekend, claiming the franchise’s biggest-ever opening in its 26-year history and delivering the strongest pure comedy debut since 22 Jump Street pulled in $57 million in 2014. It is a result that will reshape how studios think about the genre for years.
The film earned $24.7 million on its first day including previews, a figure made more impressive by the fact that NBA Finals Game 2 between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs — decided 105-104 — was pulling viewers to their screens at the same time. The audience skewed young and diverse, with Hispanic and Latino moviegoers leading at 40% of the audience, followed by 28% Black, 24% white, and 4% Asian American. The under-35 demographic accounted for 75% of ticket buyers. Premium large format screens drove 26% of the three-day gross.
The film earned a C+ CinemaScore — in line with the franchise average and well below the series highs of B from Scary Movie 2 and 3 — but a 63% definite recommend in audience exit polling suggests strong word-of-mouth potential. The Wayans Brothers’ return to the franchise is being described as a genuine commercial event rather than a nostalgia play.
Masters of the Universe Faces Earthly Box Office Realities
Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe entered the frame with considerably more financial pressure and considerably fewer results. The $170 million production opened to an estimated $30.1 million — a number that keeps the studio’s projections intact but falls well short of what a film of that cost needs to justify a franchise. IMAX and premium formats drove 44% of the weekend gross, meaning conventional screen performance was thinner still.
The CinemaScore of B and 64% definite recommend are reasonable numbers, and children under 12 gave it a 96% approval in exit polling. The challenge is that children under 12 represented just 4% of the audience — the film drew predominantly from the over-35 crowd who grew up on the 1980s animated series, with that age group accounting for 57% of opening weekend attendance. The new generation the studio was targeting simply did not show up in meaningful numbers.
The Rest of the Weekend
A24’s Backrooms fell sharply in its second weekend with an estimated $25.7 million — down 68% — bringing its total to $134.8 million. The steep drop is consistent with its B- CinemaScore and the nature of a property that resonates deeply with its core audience but struggles to expand beyond it. The under-35 crowd still makes up 81% of viewers.
The genuinely shocking story of the summer remains Focus Features’ Obsession. In its fourth weekend, the horror romance from YouTube creator Curry Barker earned an estimated $24.8 million — down just 9% — bringing its domestic total to $151.3 million. That marks the best fourth weekend hold for a horror film ever, surpassing The Blair Witch Project. Older couples in their forties and fifties have discovered the film in growing numbers, creating an unlikely demographic bridge with the Gen Z and millennial audience that drove its early success.
Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act delivered an impressive $22 million four-day estimate in its events cinema debut, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes audience score driving word-of-mouth with no traditional television advertising. The Mandalorian and Grogu dropped 61% in its third weekend with $9.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $155.3 million. Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, has now crossed $354 million domestically in its seventh weekend.
The overall weekend is tracking toward an estimated $184.7 million — the second-best result for this calendar frame since 2022’s $214.8 million and a 64% increase over the same period last year.
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