Scream 6 is going to have a killer opening weekend, but it may not be enough to dethrone Creed III. The film, which hits theaters on March 10, is the sixth theatrical outing for the Ghostface killer. This time the slasher will strike in New York City, the new home of the survivors of the previous film, Scream 2022. Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) will have to unite with franchise stalwart Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Scream 4 survivor Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) to discover the identity of this new villain.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the projected Scream 6 opening weekend gross of between $35 and $40 million, which would be the highest of the entire franchise, will easily best the weekend's other new wide release, Adam Driver's dinosaur film 65. However, there is still a chance for Creed III to take the No. 1 title in its second weekend. That film took in a domestic opening of $58 million, the highest for any sports film ever, so it may see an unprecedented second weekend as well.
Whether Creed 3 or Scream 6 Loses This Weekend, The Box Office Wins
In order to comfortably land at No. 2 behind Scream 6, Creed III will have to drop a solid 40 percent from its opening weekend. Both of the previous films in the franchise - 2015's Creed and 2018's Creed II - dropped about 50 percent, so there is a precedent for this happening. However, the film majorly exceeded expectations last weekend, so anything goes in week 2.
Taking the No. 1 slot would be a huge feather in its cap for Scream 6. Only two Scream films failed to open at No. 1 (the 1996 original - which was more of a word-of-mouth sleeper hit - and 2011's Scream 4), so this would be a good sign for the sequel's potential to justify a Scream 7. However, whichever film takes the lead, the 2023 box office is the real winner.
Just a year ago, the pandemic-depressed box office could hardly have conceived a fight between two major titles like this, both of them destined to rake in a huge gross. Scream 6's box office success, even at No. 2, would show how well the market seems to be recovering. With other big franchise tentpoles on the way through the rest of the month - including Shazam! Fury of the Gods and John Wick: Chapter 4 - even more titles are likely to enter the fray and keep the film economy booming for some time to come.
Source: THR
