‘Scary Movie’ laughs its way to a first-place finish at the box office

With the Wayans brothers firmly back in the driver’s seat, horror parody “Scary Movie” muscled its way past He-Man for the top spot at the box office this weekend.

The reboot of the 2000s-era franchise — or “rebootiquel,” as the movie calls itself — brought in $55 million in the U.S. and Canada for a worldwide total of $105.5 million, according to studio estimates. The movie, which had a production budget of $30 million, beat studio expectations and marked the return of the Wayans brothers to “Scary Movie.”

Miramax led the production and financing of the film, while Paramount Pictures was the distributor.

The film is the biggest R-rated comedy opening in more than a decade, as well as Paramount’s biggest opening for a comedy ever, said Shaun Barber, head of the studio’s domestic theatrical distribution. He credited the extensive marketing campaign, which included stunts with the stars in New York City’s Times Square.

“It really became part of the cultural zeitgeist, from horror films and internet culture to sports and social media trends,” Barber said Sunday. “The return of the Wayans family and brothers to the franchise, along with the legacy cast, and Anna Faris and Regina Hall, definitely helped as well. And then, I just think people want to laugh.”

The franchise was developed by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans. But after 2001’s “Scary Movie 2,” the Wayans got into a pay dispute with former Miramax executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The Wayans have said the Weinsteins did not tell them that 2003’s “Scary Movie 3” would be made without them. The franchise then continued with fourth and fifth installments.

After former MGM film executive Jonathan Glickman was named chief executive of Miramax in 2024, he reached out to Marlon Wayans to see if he’d be interested in reviving “Scary Movie.”

“Always dreamt of having this moment again,” Wayans said, while thanking Glickman and executive producer Marc Weinstock during a short speech at the movie’s premiere. “I thank you guys for having the vision to go, there’s only one way to do the next ‘Scary Movie,’ and that’s to bring the Wayans family back.”

Internationally, the film overperformed, particularly in Latin America, where the Wayans brothers are especially popular.

“Comedies don’t translate as well overseas,” said Mark Viane, president of international theatrical distribution at Paramount Pictures. “But as we were translating the jokes through our dubs and subtitles and making it really relevant, it’s like we were making a local comedy, and that’s really what helped push it.”

Amazon MGM Studios’ “Masters of the Universe” came in second at the domestic box office with $29.3 million, in Mattel Studios’ first film in theaters since the 2023 smash hit “Barbie.” Globally, the movie made $54 million.

The action-adventure movie had a production budget of about $170 million and aimed to reintroduce the ‘80s-era action hero “He-Man” to a new audience, while also driving the nostalgia of adults who played with the franchise toys or watched the original film and series. The movie is part of Mattel Inc.’s strategy to continue extending its toy brands into the entertainment arena.

Mattel Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz said last week that “Masters of the Universe” didn’t need to match the success of “Barbie” “to have a meaningful economic impact on the company.”

A24’s runaway hit “Backrooms” came in third at the box office this weekend, continuing its strong performance with a haul of $25.9 million. Focus Features’ “Obsession” ($25.6 million) and another YouTube-native property, “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,” ($12.7 million) rounded out the top five at the box office, according to Comscore data.