Scream 7 Box Office Projections Surge Toward Breaking Slasher Franchise’s All-Time Record 30 Years Later

2 weeks ago 10

Ghostface standing in a hallway in Scream 7

Published Feb 25, 2026, 9:48 AM EST

Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head.

Scream 7 is scaring up a huge projected debut.

The upcoming Scream 7, which premieres on February 27 with a potentially record-breaking opening weekend, is the seventh installment in the iconic slasher franchise, which kicked off 30 years ago in 1996. Directed by original screenwriter Kevin Williamson, it features the return of a number of legacy cast members including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Scream 7 is now projected to debut with a 3-day total that lands between $40 and $45 million at the domestic box office, which is a solid boost from its early projections in the mid-$30 million range (as of February 5).

That range sees it secure the second-biggest debut of the franchise, but if it hits the upper bound, it could surpass Scream VI's $44.4 million debut to earn the best opening weekend of the entire franchise.

This comparison with the other Scream movies uses the raw numbers. If the movies' debut totals are adjusted for inflation, Scream 7 is set to have the fourth-best debut of the franchise if it lands anywhere within its current range. Below, see how the domestic debuts and worldwide box office totals of the entire franchise compare, both adjusted and unadjusted:

Title

Debut

Debut (Adj.)

Total

Total (Adj.)

Scream (1996)	$6.3 million	$12.9 million	$173 million	$354.8 million
Scream 2 (1997)	$32.9 million	$66.3 million	$172.4 million	$347.6 million
Scream 3 (2000)	$34.7 million	$66.5 million	$161.8 million	$310 million
Scream 4 (2011)	$18.7 million	$27 million	$96 million	$138.8 million
Scream (2022)	$30 million	$34.7 million	$138.8 million	$160.6 million
Scream VI (2023)	$44.4 million	$47.8 million	$169.1 million	$182.2 million
Scream 7 (2026)	$40-45 million (proj.)	N/A	TBD	N/A

While Scream 7's projections are slightly diminished in comparison to the previous movies' adjusted numbers, it is still set to earn the biggest domestic debut of the year so far, surging past Wuthering Heights' $32.8 million. It will most likely hold this record for three weeks, until the debut of the Ryan Gosling sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary.

This record could have very well have been even higher under different circumstances, as the movie has been at the center of a social media firestorm. Scream (2022) and Scream VI star Melissa Barrera was fired from the production in 2023 after sharing pro-Palestine social media posts, resulting in calls to boycott the movie over the treatment of the star.

It remains to be seen how the movie's trajectory looks as the Scream 7 release continues beyond its debut weekend. However, if its performance is similar to its immediate predecessor, Scream VI, it could eventually earn between $152.4 and $171.4 million worldwide.

Ultimately, Scream 7 is very much on track to turn a profit. It reportedly only cost $45 million, which means that it could potentially make back its budget in a single weekend at the domestic box office alone. With its projected $60 million global debut, it will be well on its way toward hitting its estimated break-even point of $112.5 million.

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