JamesG
06-10-2026, 01:49 AM
Scary Movie Scores Franchise Best $55 Million Opening, Masters of the Universe Stumbles with $29.3 Million
by Rebecca Rubin
June 7, 2026
Paramount’s Scary Movie ruled at the box office with $55 million in its opening weekend, extending an unexpected streak for, well, scary movies in the height of summer movie season.
The R-rated parody was joined at the top of North American charts by Backrooms and Obsession, two horror films that captured lightning in a bottle with Gen Z crowds.
Buoyed by positive word-of-mouth as well as the power of nostalgia and horror, Scary Movie landed above expectations and cemented a record opening for the franchise.
The sixth installment in the 25-year-old series overtook the benchmark held by 2006’s Scary Movie 4 with $49.7 million (not adjusted for inflation). The film also secured the largest global start for the series with $105.5 million from 53 markets.
Miramax financed Scary Movie for $30 million, so the horror-comedy is poised to reap financial rewards.
Amazon MGM’s sword-and-planet adventure Masters of the Universe, debuted at No. 2 with a soft $29.3 million in North America.
The film also earned just $25 million from 86 overseas markets for a global start of $54 million.
Backrooms landed in third as ticket sales declined 70% in its second weekend. Since the film had such a huge opening, even a steep drop amounted to a stellar $25.9 million from 3,565 venues.
With $135 million in North America and $212.6 million globally to date, Backrooms now ranks as A24’s highest grossing worldwide release over Marty Supreme ($191 million).
Fourth place went to Obsession with $25.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, a mere 7% decline. The horror sensation, a frenetic thriller about the dangers of romantic fixation, has been doing unprecedented business, with ticket sales increasing in its second and third weekends.
Now the low-budget film has generated $152.1 million in North America and will pass the $200 million mark globally this weekend.
Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act rounded out the top five, earning earning $19.4 million from 2,221 theaters.
Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu took sixth place with $10 million in its third weekend of release, marking a painful 60% drop.
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/box-office-scary-movie-franchise-best-opening-masters-of-the-universe-flops-1236765638/
June 5-7, 2026: Weekend Studio Estimates
1. Scary Movie $54,336,626
2. Masters of the Universe $29,439,929
3. Backrooms $26,256,335 / $135,371,260
4. Obsession $25,389,465 / $151,921,395
5. The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act $12,363,037
6. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu $9,962,673 / $155,785,022
7. Michael $7,635,782 / $354,217,206
8. The Breadwinner $3,417,272 / $13,855,329
9. Pressure $3,097,200 / $11,249,740
10. The Devil Wears Prada 2 $2,784,403 / $214,955,337
by Rebecca Rubin
June 7, 2026
Paramount’s Scary Movie ruled at the box office with $55 million in its opening weekend, extending an unexpected streak for, well, scary movies in the height of summer movie season.
The R-rated parody was joined at the top of North American charts by Backrooms and Obsession, two horror films that captured lightning in a bottle with Gen Z crowds.
Buoyed by positive word-of-mouth as well as the power of nostalgia and horror, Scary Movie landed above expectations and cemented a record opening for the franchise.
The sixth installment in the 25-year-old series overtook the benchmark held by 2006’s Scary Movie 4 with $49.7 million (not adjusted for inflation). The film also secured the largest global start for the series with $105.5 million from 53 markets.
Miramax financed Scary Movie for $30 million, so the horror-comedy is poised to reap financial rewards.
Amazon MGM’s sword-and-planet adventure Masters of the Universe, debuted at No. 2 with a soft $29.3 million in North America.
The film also earned just $25 million from 86 overseas markets for a global start of $54 million.
Backrooms landed in third as ticket sales declined 70% in its second weekend. Since the film had such a huge opening, even a steep drop amounted to a stellar $25.9 million from 3,565 venues.
With $135 million in North America and $212.6 million globally to date, Backrooms now ranks as A24’s highest grossing worldwide release over Marty Supreme ($191 million).
Fourth place went to Obsession with $25.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, a mere 7% decline. The horror sensation, a frenetic thriller about the dangers of romantic fixation, has been doing unprecedented business, with ticket sales increasing in its second and third weekends.
Now the low-budget film has generated $152.1 million in North America and will pass the $200 million mark globally this weekend.
Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act rounded out the top five, earning earning $19.4 million from 2,221 theaters.
Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu took sixth place with $10 million in its third weekend of release, marking a painful 60% drop.
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/box-office-scary-movie-franchise-best-opening-masters-of-the-universe-flops-1236765638/
June 5-7, 2026: Weekend Studio Estimates
1. Scary Movie $54,336,626
2. Masters of the Universe $29,439,929
3. Backrooms $26,256,335 / $135,371,260
4. Obsession $25,389,465 / $151,921,395
5. The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act $12,363,037
6. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu $9,962,673 / $155,785,022
7. Michael $7,635,782 / $354,217,206
8. The Breadwinner $3,417,272 / $13,855,329
9. Pressure $3,097,200 / $11,249,740
10. The Devil Wears Prada 2 $2,784,403 / $214,955,337