Scream 6 tracking for a franchise record opening weekend

Tracking numbers indicate that Scream 6 could have the biggest opening weekend of any film in the Scream franchise

We’re still three weeks away from the March 10th theatrical release date of the slasher sequel Scream 6, but it’s already looking like the movie is going to be hit. In fact, according to Deadline the tracking numbers for the Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media release indicate that it’s going to have a franchise record opening weekend of $37 million at the domestic box office. The previous highest opening weekend for the franchise came back in 2000, when Scream 3 made $34.7 million at the domestic box office. The previous Scream movie, released just last year, had a $30 million opening weekend. It ended up with a total haul of $81.6 million domestic, boosted to $140 million when international numbers were added in.

Deadline reports that the sweet spot for Scream 6 is the 18-34 crowd, just like last year’s, which pulled in 67% of that demo. The sequel is also heavily diverse, attracting 33% Latino and Hispanic, 11% Black and 5% Asian. Also popping on tracking is the aging Gen X crowd, the 45-54 set who are the legacy fans of the Scream franchise. The last installment leaned slightly toward guys at 53%.

Directed by Scream 2022 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by Scream 2022 writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, this one will show us what happens when the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Those four survivors are the returning Scream 2022 characters played by Melissa Barrera (as Samantha Carpenter), Jenna Ortega (as Samantha’s sister Tara Carpenter), Mason Gooding (as Mindy’s brother Chad Meeks-Martin), and Jasmin Savoy Brown (as Mindy Meeks-Martin). They’re seeking to start a fresh chapter in New York City… but while the story is set in New York, the movie was filmed in Montreal.

Also in the cast are franchise regular Courteney Cox (as Gale Weathers), Scream 4 star Hayden Panettiere (as Kirby Reed), and new additions Dermot Mulroney as Detective Bailey, Samara Weaving as Laura, Tony Revolori as Jason, Liana Liberato as Quinn, Josh Segarra as Danny, Jack Champion as Ethan, and Devyn Nekoda as Anika. Henry Czerny is also in there, playing an unspecified role.

Notably missing is Neve Campbell, who was asked to reprise the role of franchise heroine Sidney Prescott in Scream 6, but passed on it due to a pay dispute.

Vanderbilt is producing Scream 6 with Paul Neinstein and William Sherak for Project X Entertainment. Original Scream screenwriter Kevin Willamson serves as executive producer alongside Chad Villella, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena, and Spyglass’s Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre.

Are you looking forward to Scream 6? Will you be helping to prove the tracking numbers right and going to see the movie on the big screen during its opening weekend? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Scream 6 character posters
Source: Deadline

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.