By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Oscar weekend belonged to "Scream VI" in theaters, as the horror sequel notched a franchise-best $44.5 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group co-production sailed past expectations, easily surpassing the previous series high of $32 million that "Scream 2" opened with in 1997. The film's robust debut atop the weekend box office, coming as Hollywood prepared to gather for the 95th Academy Awards, was yet another reminder of how horror has come to be one of the industry's few sure things at the box office.
After lying dormant for more than a decade, the "Scream" franchise, previously directed by Wes Craven and released by Dimension Films, has found a ripe revival with a young cast led by "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have brought back the 27-year-old series' meta slasher storylines and serial killer Ghostface, and it's paying off. Last year's "Scream V" grossed $137 million worldwide on a production budget of $24 million. In the latest chapter, Courtney Cox returns as reporter Gale Weathers, as does Hayden Panettiere, a veteran of "Scream IV." But it's the first "Scream" movie without Neve Campbell.
"Scream VI," quickly greenlit after the success of "V," has also fared fairly well with both critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 75% fresh rating. Moviegoers gave it a "B+" CinemaScore, a decent grade for a horror film. The sixth "Scream," which cost $33 million to make, added $22.6 million overseas.
Last week's top film, "Creed III," slid to second after its above-expectations launch. Michael B. Jordan's MGM "Rocky" spinoff, starring him and Jonathan Majors, earned $27.1 million in its second weekend. It has rapidly passed $100 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
Columbia Pictures' "65," a science-fiction thriller starring Adam Driver as a space explorer stranded on prehistoric Earth, opened in third place with an estimated $12.3 million from 3,405 locations, and an additional $7.2 million internationally. That might be better than expected, too, for a film that got terrible reviews from critics. (It scored just 35% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.) But "65" reportedly carried a hefty production budget of about $90 million, though tax rebates roughly halved that cost to financiers including Sony, Bron Studios and TSG.
Bobby Farrelly's "Champions," starring Woody Harrelson as a disgraced coach trying to lead a basketball team to the Special Olympics, opened with $5.2 million in 3,030 locations. Audiences (an "A" CinemaScore) have liked it more than reviewers (53% on Rotten Tomatoes).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Scream VI," $44.5 million.
2. "Creed III," $27.1 million.
3. "65," $12.3 million.
4. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," $7 million.
5. "Cocaine Bear," $6.2 million.
6. "Jesus Revolution," $5.2 million.
7. "Champions," $5.2 million.
8. "Avatar: The Way of Water," $2.7 million.
9. "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: To the Swords," $1.9 million.
10. "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," $1.7 million.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More