Credit: Paramount PicturesScream VI (2023) is finally out in theaters, and despite the fact it’s the first film in the long-running slasher series not to feature Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, it’s off to a pretty solid start — at least where the box office numbers are concerned. Don’t worry — there are zero spoilers ahead…
Back when the original Scream Trilogy ended in 2000, no one could have ever predicted that the “meta slasher” franchise would be brought back from the dead with Scream 4 (2011) just over a decade later. But seeing as the series revolves around a killer whose identity changes from film to film, we probably should have known better.
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Last year, we got Scream 5 (2022), and now, just over a year later, the sixth film in the series is already slashing its way through theaters and making quite an impression at the box office. But where will it all end? Well, according to the filmmakers, it won’t, as they recently said Scream “could go on forever”, given how the killer is a different person in each film.
Per Variety, Scream VI has enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend, grossing a total of $44.5 million at the domestic box office, which exceeds projected figures by $3.5 million, making it the biggest opener of the entire Scream franchise by some $10 million, dethroning Scream 3 (2000), which opened to $34.7 million 23 years ago.
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Needless to say, a seventh Scream film will likely be announced in the coming weeks, which happened last year while Scream 5 was still in theaters. But is Scream VI actually any good? Well, it certainly ups the ante where guts and gore are concerned, and its New York City setting makes for a welcome break from the sleepy town of Woodsboro.
Unfortunately, though, that’s about it. Though a wildly entertaining slasher, the film proves that this franchise is living off the fumes of nostalgia and nothing more. As for the meta commentary that each film up to and including Scream 5 dished out so incredibly well, it’s so horribly contrived here that the film would have done well to avoid it altogether.
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If you’re here to see really stupid people being chased by the most cunning and brutal version of Ghostface yet, Scream VI offers plenty. But prepare to suspend your disbelief more than ever, because every single character in this film, whether among the main protagonists or the newcomers, is far more invincible than Ghostface himself.
And on that note, you should probably also temper those expectations about the big reveal. While many are praising the film for its brutal kills and fresh location, the general consensus is that fans are very disappointed with the terribly underwhelming reveal. As such, Scream VI has quickly become the most divisive film in the franchise.
Popular YouTuber Cody Leach has joined other film critics in describing the film as “great… until it’s not”, with many criticizing the third act — at least all the post-reveal stuff.
Check out the official Scream VI trailer below:
Related: The Most Iconic Slasher Movie Villains Ranked
As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Scream VI:
The film continues with the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings, sisters Samantha and Tara Carpenter and twins Chad and Mindy Meeks, leaving Woodsboro behind and starting a new chapter of their lives in New York City only to again be plagued by a streak of murders by a new Ghostface killer.
Scream VI stars Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Roger L Jackson (the voice of Ghostface), Dermot Mulroney (Wayne Bailey), Henry Czerny (Christopher Stone), Tony Revolori (Jason Carvey), Jack Champion (Ethan Landry), Devyn Nekoda (Anika Kayoko), Liana Liberato (Quinn Bailey), Josh Segarra (Danny Brackett), Samara Weaving (Laura Crane) and Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis).
Have you seen Scream VI? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!