Fox Searchlight looks for horror fans to make a return engagement with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come on March 20th. Combining laughs with gore, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return to this scary franchise after making a detour rebooting the Scream series. Samara Weaving is back headlining with a new supporting cast including Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg (!), and Elijah Wood.
Back in late summer 2019, the eat the rich first edition made $8 million in its opening frame ($11 million over the five-day as it debuted on a Wednesday). It held up decently for its genre with $28 million domestically. I’m a little unsure if audiences are clamoring for a sequel. Unlike the recent Scream 7, I don’t look for this to exceed expectations.
I’ll say this gets beyond $10 million for starters though not by much.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come opening weekend prediction: $11.2 million
Two new features vie for audience attention as romantic drama Reminders of Him and low-budget Canadian horror flick Undertone make their way to multiplexes. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on them here:
It is highly unlikely that either comes close to bouncing Hoppers from a repeat performance in first. Reminders, based on a Colleen Hoover novel, should be second though I have it just topping $10 million for a subpar start.
I’m not expecting much from Undertone, but it could manage a 4th or 5th place showing considering The Bride! should plummet out of the top 5 after a dismal debut (more on that below).
Hoppers, as mentioned, should be #1 assuming a slide in the high 30s or low 40s with Scream 7 and Goat placing third and fourth.
Here’s how I see the top 6 shaking out:
1. Hoppers
Predicted Gross: $27.2 million
2. Reminder of Him
Predicted Gross: $10.4 million
3. Scream 7
Predicted Gross: $6.9 million
4. Undertone
Predicted Gross: $4.9 million
5. Goat
Predicted Gross: $4.3 million
6. The Bride!
Predicted Gross: $2.6 million
Box Office Results (March 6-8)
Disney/Pixar had a commendable opening for an original title as Hoppers earned $45.3 million, slightly topping my $43.6 million prediction. That’s a cut above recent studio originals Elemental and Elio which both failed to reach $30 million in their unveilings.
Scream 7 was runner-up and dropped a severe 73% in weekend #2 to $17 million, under my $19.5 million call. The latest franchise entry is up to $93 million.
The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s monster mash with Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, failed to collect RSVPs with only $7 million in third. I projected more at $10.3 million. With a reported $85 million price tag, this is a costly dud for Warner Bros.
Goat was fourth with $6.4 million (I said $5.8 million) as the animated tale has amassed $83 million in four weeks.
Wuthering Heights rounded out the top five with $3.7 million, in range with my $3.4 million forecast. The period romance, in its fourth week, stands at $78 million.
Disney/Pixar looks to jump to the top of the box office charts with Hoppers while Warner Bros hopes moviegoers RSVP for The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s take on The Bride of Frankenstein starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:
Recent original Pixar titles (Elemental, Elio) have struggled out of the gate with openings below $30 million. With encouraging reviews, I suspect that won’t be the case with Hoppers and I’m going with a start in the mid 40s.
As for The Bride!, I am forecasting a subpar premiere barely topping $10 million. As I mentioned in my post, the second weekend of Scream 7 and especially similar subject matter being covered in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix could hinder this.
Speaking of Scream 7, it had a terrific debut (more on that below) that easily set a franchise record. The horror genre usually sees substantial declines in their second frames and I envision a mid to high 60s plummet for the latest adventures of Ghostface. Goat and Wuthering Heights should round out the top five.
Here’s I how I envision it shaking out:
1. Hoppers
Predicted Gross: $43.6 million
2. Scream 7
Predicted Gross: $19.5 million
3. The Bride!
Predicted Gross: $10.3 million
4. Goat
Predicted Gross: $5.8 million
5. Wuthering Heights
Predicted Gross: $3.4 million
Box Office Results (February 27-March 1)
As mentioned, Scream 7 had no trouble making loud noises at multiplexes with a series best $63.6 million, trouncing the $44 million that 2023 predecessor Scream VI pulled in. It also eclipsed my meager $47.6 million prediction for the best start yet in 2026.
Goat dropped to second with $12 million, down only 29% for a three-week tally of $73 million. I went a little lower at $10.8 million.
Wuthering Heights was third with $6.7 million (I said $6.9 million) and its three-week total is $72 million. The Margot Robbie-Jacob Elordi romance should fall a bit short of nine digits.
I did not have the rest of the high five being populated with music docs, but that was the result. Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined was fourth with $3.7 million. The King was fifth as EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert made $3.5 million to bring its earnings to nearly $8 million. Crime 101 was sixth with $3.7 million. I didn’t do a prediction for it and it’s made $30 million after three weeks.
I Can Only Imagine 2 fell a sharp 59% after a disappointing debut to $3.1 million in seventh. I forecasted a bit more at $4 million. The faith-based sequel stands at $13 million after ten days.
Send Help was eighth with $2.8 million (I went with $2.6 million) for a five-week gross of $59 million.
Warner Bros is counting on moviegoers to walk down multiplex aisles when The Bride! opens March 6th. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs the gothic thriller based on The Bride of Frankenstein. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale headline the odd romance. Costars include Peter Sarsgaard (Maggie’s husband), Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal (Maggie’s brother), and Penélope Cruz.
With a reported $80 million budget, the studio is seeking lots of RSVPs. Buckley is likely on the precipice of an Oscar win for Hamnet with Bale as the monstrous “Frank”. I’m not convinced their star power equals an impressive gross. The Bride! faces challenges. Scream 7 will be in its sophomore weekend and still posting solid figures. I question the mainstream appeal of this based on trailers and TV spots. Most importantly, plenty of potential viewers might feel like they got their Frankenstein fix via Guillermo del Toro’s Best Picture nominated Netflix version just four months ago.
Familiarity with the source material could still propel this to a premiere in the low to mid teen. My gut says to take the under and that means a disappointing result just over $10 million.
The Bride! opening weekend prediction: $10.3 million
Scream 7 looks to easily slash all competitors as the only wide release this weekend. The horror pic will attempt to set a franchise best start and you can peruse my detailed prediction posts on it here:
In order to reach that milestone, 7 will need to build upon the $44 million earned by VI back in 2023. I’m estimating that it will indeed do so.
The rest of the top 5 is poised to be filled with holdovers. Goat and Wuthering Heights should each slip a spot to 2nd and 3rd in their third frames.
I Can Only Imagine 2 came in with far less than I imagined (more on that below). Even with an A+ Cinemascore grade, it might still decline in the mid to high 40s for a fourth place showing. Send Help could stay in fifth with a smaller percentage drop than current #4 Crime 101.
Here’s how I envision the top 5 shaking out:
1. Scream 7
Predicted Gross: $47.6 million
2. Goat
Predicted Gross: $10.8 million
3. Wuthering Heights
Predicted Gross: $6.9 million
4. I Can Only Imagine 2
Predicted Gross: $4 million
5. Send Help
Predicted Gross: $2.6 million
Box Office Results (February 20-22)
Animated Goat rose from 2nd to 1st in its sophomore outing with $16.8 million, a smidge past my $15.6 million prediction. The Sony sports tale has taken in $58 million thus far.
Wuthering Heights was second with $14 million, in range with my $13.2 million call. Falling a considerable 57%, Emerald Fennell’s doomed romance sits at $59 million after two weeks.
As mentioned, I Can Only Imagine 2 failed to bring in many fans of the 2018 original. It made $7.7 million, well below my generous $17.8 million forecast. That is less than half of what its predecessor made out of the gate.
Crime 101 plummeted 61% in weekend #2 with $5.5 million compared to my $7.1 million take. It has made $24 million overall.
Send Help rounded out the top 5 with $4.4 million (I said $4.8 million) for a four-week total of $55 million.
Scream 7 looks to set record high franchise noise when it debuts February 27th. Nearly 30 years into the series, Kevin Williamson (who penned the 1st, 2nd, and 4th editions) directs and cowrites. This is only his second behind the camera feature after 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, the headliners of parts V-VI, are MIA. However, Neve Campbell is back in action after missing the predecessor along with returnees Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Courtney Cox, and Roger L. Jackson (voicing Ghostface). Newcomers to the fold include Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Tim Simons, and Joel McHale.
After a decade in dormancy, the franchise was brought back with solid numbers in 2022. The fifth pic (simply titled Scream) took in just over $30 million opening weekend with an eventual $81 million domestic haul. Yet those premiere grosses fell short of 2 and 3 and the overall gross fell short of the first three flicks. Scream VI in 2023 (not adjusted for inflation) set series bests at a $44 million start and $108 million stateside.
With little competition at multiplexes and recent overperformances for the genre, I am leaning toward 7 being lucky. I suspect this might achieve another record number out of the gate.
Scream 7 opening weekend prediction: $47.6 million
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