After dominating the indie horror box office for three weeks, slasher spoof ‘Scary Movie’ took in $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates, easily beating the mighty ‘Masters of the Universe’ on Sunday.A new demand has recently hit theaters, with Gen Z ticket buyers watching horror hits ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’, both made by YouTuber-turned-filmmakers. Those films have also surpassed ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’.
‘Scary Movie 6 ‘at the top of the counter
This weekend, comedy was the underdog. Although the genre has died in theaters, the sixth film in the franchise earned $105.5 million worldwide. The Wayans brother’s comedy transcended its main satirical target, the ‘Scream’ franchise. Earlier this year, ‘Scream 7’ opened to USD 97 million worldwide.Both franchises are distributed by Paramount Pictures, although Miramax produced the new ‘Scary Movie’. The sequel, co-written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, returns to Wayans’ franchise after 2001’s ‘Scary Movie 2’.Reviews weren’t great (26% cool on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (CinemaScore “B”) were so-so. But that didn’t stop the $30 million ‘Scary Movie’ from dominating its much bigger budget competition.
“Masters of the Universe” earns USD 54 million
‘Masters of the Universe’. The sword-and-sorcery action-adventure based on the 1980s animated series and Mattel toys failed to revive the dormant franchise. An Amazon MGM release, the second “Masters of the Universe” film, following the 1987 film of the same name, opened with US$29.3 million.The film, starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, added US$25 million overseas. But for a film that cost nearly $200 million to produce, a much larger release was needed to ensure profitability.This is Mattel Studios’ first release since 2023’s ‘Barbie’. But after that movie’s $1.45 billion blockbuster, ‘Masters of the Universe’ is closer to bankruptcy for the toy company.
‘Backrooms’ collects 212 crores
A24’s ‘Backrooms’, last weekend’s top opener, fell hard in its second weekend, down 68% with US$25.9 million. But ‘Backrooms’. The US$10 million film based on 20-year-old Kane Parson’s YouTube series remains a record-breaking phenomenon. It is now A24’s highest grossing film ever with USD 212 million worldwide, ahead of ‘Marty Supreme’.
“Obsession” crosses the $150 million mark
Tied for third place, Focus Features’ ‘Obsession’ collected $25.6 million in its fourth weekend. That marked a slight 7% drop from the previous weekend for 26-year-old horror sensation Curry Barker. Regardless of inflation, a horror movie has never had a better fourth weekend.“Obsession,” about a man who wants his love back, was made for less than $1 million. It has now grossed $152.1 million domestically and $224.8 million worldwide – a record for Focus.In its third weekend, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ dropped to sixth place with USD 10 million. Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act, a combination of the last two episodes of the animated series, also won. It raised $12.7 million.
Other films achieved milestones
Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” was the studio’s highest grosser ever with $898 million worldwide. That puts it ahead of, unadjusted for inflation, the studio’s top-grossing “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” franchises.And 2026 got its first billion dollar movie. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” grossed $1 billion worldwide for Universal.The weekend as a whole was up a remarkable 63% over the same weekend last year, according to Comscore. Ticket sales are up more than 13% year-on-year. Next weekend, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” opens.
Top 10 movies at the domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released on Monday, this list takes into account estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. “Scary Movie,” $55 million.2. “Masters of the Universe,” $29.3 million.3. “Backrooms,” $25.9 million.4. “Obsession,” $25.6 million.5. “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,” $12.7 million.6. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $10 million.7. “Michael,” $7.7 million.8. “The Breadwinner,” $3.4 million.9. “Pressure,” $3 million.10. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $2.8 million.
