‘Scary Movie’ tops box office, slaying ‘Masters of the Universe’ 

LOS ANGELES – “Scary Movie” opened with $55 million this weekend to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates
released Sunday.

The sixth installment of the comedy franchise, which launched in 2000 and spoofs horror movies and other cultural targets, posted its best ever opening weekend.

It was written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans and Rick Alvarez, and stars franchise regulars Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris and Regina Hall.

A live-action version of Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” opened in second place with $29.3 million, Comscore reported.

This image released by Amazon MGM Studios shows Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes in a scene from “Masters of the Universe.” (Amazon MGM Studios via AP)

The sci-fi horror movie “Backrooms” was third with $25.9 million Friday through Sunday in its second weekend in theaters, followed by “Obsession,” which grossed $25.6 million in its fourth weekend.

Fifth place went to “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,” based on the popular animated web series about a group of people trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It opened with $12.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10 releases were “Star Wars: Mandalorian & Grogu” ($10 million), “Michael” ($7.7 million), “The Breadwinner” ($3.4 million), “Pressure” ($3 million) and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” ($2.8 million).

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $183 million. The year-to-date total is $3.966 billion — up 13.4% from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

‘Scary Movie’ tops ticket sales

After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof “Scary Movie” topped ticket sales with $55 million over the weekend,  easily besting the far-from-mighty “Masters of the Universe.”

A new order has lately come to movie theaters, which have seen Gen Z ticket buyers flock to the horror hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” both made by YouTubers-turned-filmmakers. Those movies have even outshone The Walt Disney Co.’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

$105.5 million global launch

This weekend, comedy was the underdog champ. Though the genre has been all but left for dead in theaters, the sixth “Scary Movie” notched a franchise-best $105.5 million global launch. The Wayans brother comedy even outdid its primary satirical target, the “Scream” franchise. Earlier this year, “Scream 7” debuted with $97 million worldwide.

Both franchises are distributed by Paramount Pictures, though Miramax produced the new “Scary Movie.” Co-written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, the sequel marks the Wayans’ return to the franchise after their departure over creative differences following 2001’s “Scary Movie 2.”

‘Huge bounceback’

“This is an outstanding opening for a comedy sequel this far into the series,” said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe. “It’s a huge bounceback after the last episode crashed in 2013 when Anna Faris and Regina Hall were excluded. The weekend figure is triple the average for the genre.”

Reviews weren’t good (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “B” CinemaScore) were so-so. But that didn’t stop the $30-million “Scary Movie” from dominating its much bigger budget competition.

‘Masters of the Universe’

“Masters of the Universe,” a sword and sorcery action adventure based on the 1980s animated series and Mattel toys, failed to revive the dormant franchise. The Amazon MGM release, the second “Masters of the Universe” film following a 1987 movie of the same title, opened with $29.3 million domestically.

“Masters of the Universe,” starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, added $25 million overseas. But for a film that cost nearly $200 million to produce, a much higher launch was needed to make profitability likely.

It’s Mattel Studios’ first release since 2023’s “Barbie.” But after the extraordinary $1.45 billion success of that film, “Masters of the Universe” will be closer to a flop for the toy company.

‘Backrooms’

A24’s “Backrooms,” last weekend’s top release, slid steeply on its second weekend, dropping 68% with $25.9 million. But “Backrooms,” a $10 million movie based on 20-year-old Kane Parson’s YouTube series remains a record-breaking phenomenon. It’s now A24’s highest grossing film ever with $212 million worldwide, moving ahead of “Marty Supreme.”

‘Obsession’

In a near tie for third place, Focus Features’ “Obsession” grossed $25.6 million in its fourth weekend. That marked a paltry 7% drop from the previous weekend for 26-year-old Curry Barker’s horror sensation. Not accounting for inflation, no horror movie has ever had a better fourth weekend.

“Obsession,” about a man who wishes his crush returned his affections, was made for less than $1 million. It’s now grossed $152.1 million domestically and $224.8 million worldwide — a record for Focus. (With CNS and AP reports)

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