After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof ‘Scary Movie’ topped ticket sales with USD 55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily besting the far-from-mighty ‘Masters of the Universe’.A new order has lately come to movie theaters, which have seen Gen Z ticket buyers flock to the horror hits ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’, both made by YouTubers-turned-filmmakers. Those movies have even outshone ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’.
‘Scary Movie 6 ‘ tops box office
This weekend, comedy was the underdog champ. Though the genre has been all but left for dead in theaters, the sixth film in the franchise earning USD 105.5 million during its global launch. The Wayans brother comedy even outdid its primary satirical target, the ‘Scream’ franchise. Earlier this year, ‘Scream 7’ debuted with USD 97 million worldwide.Both franchises are distributed by Paramount Pictures, though Miramax produced the new ‘Scary Movie’. Co-written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, the sequel marks the Wayans’ return to the franchise after their departure over creative differences following 2001’s ‘Scary Movie 2’.Reviews weren’t good (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “B” CinemaScore) were so-so. But that didn’t stop the USD 30-million ‘Scary Movie’ from dominating its much bigger budget competition.
‘Masters of the Universe’ earns USD 54 million
‘Masters of the Universe’. a sword and sorcery action adventure based on the 1980s animated series and Mattel toys, failed to revive the dormant franchise. The Amazon MGM release, the second ‘Masters of the Universe’ film following a 1987 movie of the same title, opened with USD 29.3 million domestically.The film starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, added USD 25 million overseas. But for a film that cost nearly USD 200 million to produce, a much higher launch was needed to make profitability likely.It’s Mattel Studios’ first release since 2023’s ‘Barbie’. But after the extraordinary USD 1.45 billion success of that film, ‘Masters of the Universe’ will be closer to a flop for the toy company.
‘Backrooms’ grosses Rs 212 million
A24’s ‘Backrooms’, last weekend’s top release, slid steeply on its second weekend, dropping 68% with USD 25.9 million. But ‘Backrooms’. a USD 10 million movie based on 20-year-old Kane Parson’s YouTube series remains a record-breaking phenomenon. It’s now A24’s highest grossing film ever with USD 212 million worldwide, moving ahead of ‘Marty Supreme’.
‘Obsession’ crosses USD 150 million mark
In a near tie for third place, Focus Features’ ‘Obsession’ grossed USD 25.6 million in its fourth weekend. That marked a paltry 7% drop from the previous weekend for 26-year-old Curry Barker’s horror sensation. Not accounting for inflation, no horror movie has ever had a better fourth weekend.‘Obsession’, about a man who wishes his crush returned his affections, was made for less than USD 1 million. It’s now grossed USD 152.1 million domestically and USD 224.8 million worldwide – a record for Focus.In its third weekend, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ fell all the way to sixth place with USD 10 million. It was even bested by Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,” a combination of the last two episodes of the animated series. It collected USD 12.7 million.
A few other movies hit milestones
Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” became the studio’s highest grossing film ever with $898 million globally. That puts it ahead, not accounting for inflation, both the highest grossing entries in the studio’s “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” franchises.And 2026 got its first billion-dollar movie. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” crossed $1 billion worldwide for Universal.The weekend overall was up a remarkable 63% from the same weekend last year, according to Comscore. Ticket sales on the year are up more than 13%. Next weekend, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” debuts.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday 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.
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