'Scream VI' tops box office with franchise-best $44.5 million

LOS ANGELES -- 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, 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.