Spider-Man: No Way Home’s box office reign comes to Scream-ing halt

polygon.com:

Spider-Man: No Way Home swung into theatergoers hearts, not once, not twice, but three times over. It shifted an industry’s imagination of what could be accomplished during a pandemic, and could very well alter the future of the theatrical viewing experience. But now, a full month after its release, the Marvel movie phenomena is starting to wane, just a little. For the first time since its debut, Jon Watts’ trilogy-capper appears to be ceding the top spot at the weekly box office.

The new Scream, co-directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not), is likely to take the crown with a projected $30.6 million weekend. It’s a triumphant return for the meta-horror franchise, which has seen over a decade pass since 2011’s Scream 4. Polygon’s review said the movie pushes “self-referentiality to its limit in order to goof on its status as a potential decades-later cash-in, while still brokering a satisfying reunion with its beloved original characters.”

Scream’s numbers are a good sign for an industry still wondering how to operate in uncertain times. Outside of Scream 4’s flop, 2022’s Scream opening weekend is making money similar to what Scream 3 made in 2000 ($34.7 million) and what Scream 2 made in 1997 ($32.9 million). While Scream is undoubtedly part of a franchise, it’s not one that has had much upkeep in the intervening years, with only a three-season TV show on MTV and VH1 keeping the fires alive.

But returning stars like Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox, not to mention a generally positive response, have built up a level of excitement that seems to match how people felt when previous Scream sequels dropped. So people are splurging for theater tickers for certain franchises when the