Hollywood just can’t get enough horror these days. And even when a horror flick isn’t standing atop the box office, it somehow still is.
I’m talking about Scary Movie, of course—the latest iteration in the spooky spoof franchise of the same name. It had been 13 years since the last Scary Movie lurched into theaters (Scary Movie 5 was released in 2013). But with so many new horror flicks to make fun of, Paramount Pictures must’ve thought it was high time to drag the franchise out of its Hollywood grave.
And the studio is likely glad it did. After Paramount spent an estimated $30 million making the thing, Scary Movie (2026) shambled to an estimated $55 million in North America this weekend. It scratched up another $50.5 million overseas to give it a staggering $105.5 million.
Masters of the Universe had a scary debut of its own—but in the wrong sort of way. The movie’s makers pumped at least $170 million into its own derelict franchise to bring it back to life. But He Man and his muscular cohorts looked positively puny at the box office, earning just $29.3 million stateside and $54.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend. That’s not a horrific debut, but Amazon MGM Studios had certainly hoped for more. When it comes to the multiplex, the power lies elsewhere.
Backrooms, last week’s champ, hemorrhaged nearly 70% of its weekend-over-weekend audience, earning $25.9 million domestically to finish third. Still, let’s keep in mind that Backrooms’ makers spent just $10 million on the film—which has earned $135.1 million domestically and $212.7 million worldwide. That’s almost enough to refurbish the movie’s antiquated kitchen.
Speaking of cheaply made horror flicks, let’s turn our attention to Obsession. After three straight weekends of making more than it had the weekend before, Obsession showed the slightest signs of mortality. It earned $25.6 million, pushing its domestic tally to $152.1 million and worldwide gross to $224.8 million.
In fifth place we find The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act—essentially the last two episodes of the wildly popular web-based show on the YouTube channel GLITCH. The Last Act did a bit better than what prognosticators pegged—earning $11.6 million over the three-day weekend and $19.5 million when you lump in Thursday’s receipts.
And that forces us to point out something else: Backrooms, Obsession and The Last Act all have roots in YouTube. The times, they are a-changing.
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