With a spectacular $44.5 million opening weekend at the domestic box office, and a further $22.6 million from 53 overseas markets, Scream VI has debuted with $67.1 million worldwide in its first weekend in theaters. This is an excellent result for the slasher film, which cost a reported $33 million to produce, and was initially projected to make around $50 million worldwide, and between $35 million and $45 million domestically.

Scream VI opened with a fan event at 5 pm on Thursday, before going wide into over 3,100 theaters half-an-hour later. The film made $5.7 million in Thursday previews, followed by $19.3 million on Friday. Needless to say, this is the biggest opening in the iconic horror franchise’s history, by far. The record was previously held by Scream 3, which made $34 million in its domestic opening weekend more than two decades ago in the year 2000.

According to Paramount, 51% of the audience was male, and 42% was in the key 18-24 demographic. Caucasians made up for 40% of the audience, while Hispanic audiences contributed to 30% of the film’s total viewership. Scream VI received a solid B+ CinemaScore from opening day crowds, and the film currently sits at a 75% “fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s own Ross Bonaime wrote in his review, “Scream VI finds a way to both honor and revel in the past, while creating a path forward for a new generation.”

Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in Scream 6
Image via Paramount

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'Scream VI' Made an Impact at the International Box Office

The film’s biggest international territory is the U.K. ($3.6 million), followed by France ($3.5 million), Mexico ($2 million), Australia ($2 million) and Brazil ($1.8 million). Scream VI is significantly outpacing the fifth Scream in each of these territories. Released last year, the fifth Scream film ended its global run with $137 million. By comparison, the first Scream made $173 million worldwide in 1996, Scream 2 grossed $172 million globally a year later, Scream 3 made $161 million worldwide, and 2011’s Scream 4 ended its run with a franchise-low haul of $97 million. While each of the first four movies was directed by the legendary Wes Craven, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence, took over the series with the fifth Scream.

Also directed by Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, Scream VI takes the action outside the fictional town of Woodsboro for the first time, and follows the survivors of the last movie to New York City, where they are once again haunted by the Ghostface killer. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Mason Gooding, Roger L. Jackson, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Jenna Ortega, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, Samara Weaving with Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox. You can watch our interview with the Radio Silence duo here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.