It’s been 27 years since the first Scream came out back in 1996, where it grossed over $6 million during its opening weekend. Now, Scream VI looks as if it’s going to surpass that mark after Thursday’s early previews at 3,125 theaters netted a jaw-dropping $5.7 million already.
The Scream franchise has been a massive fan-favorite since Neve Campbell became Ghostface’s target as Sidney Prescott and Courtney Cox first portrayed the role of news reporter Gale Weathers who has her nose all up in everybody’s business. The film has boasted several other great actors over the years, including David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Drew Barrymore, and even a Henry Winkler cameo. The fans have followed the franchise since the very beginning, and even helped to establish the 2000 film Scream 3 as the highest opening of them all so far with $34.7 million for its 3-day weekend opening.
At this rate, Variety reports that Scream VI will surpass that mark as well with projections in the $35 to $40 million range after it opens up its Friday market to 3,675 theaters. Of course, the success it faces could possibly be due to Jenna Ortega’s recent rise to the stratosphere after becoming her own fan-favorite as Wednesday in the November 2022 release of the Netflix comedy series of the same name. Ortega has been acting since 2012 and has 47 acting credits to her name that include the upcoming productions Miller’s Girl, Finestkind, and Winter Spring Summer or Fall likely to also be box office winners.
However, Ortega’s role as Wednesday gave her career new life with such memorable scenes as playing the cello so all of Nevermore Academy could hear, appearing so small next to Principal Weems, and of course, her infamous dance to “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps went viral. She can’t take all the credit though since Courtney Cox joins the new generation of Scream stars who include Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Dermot Mulroney, and Hayden Panettiere along with a slew of up-and-comers. Scream VI will take viewers on a journey out of Woodsboro to New York City where a different Ghostface emerges, and that identity will absolutely shock fans when they find out who it is.
With Sam Carpenter played by Berrara and her sister Tara played by Ortega, they have since taken over the franchise while trying to survive Ghostface’s attacks. Have fun keeping up, because it looks like the storyline has now captured its second wind.
