'Scary Movie' tops box office, slaying 'Masters of the Universe' and
adding to low-budget streak
[June 08, 2026]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) — The summer box office is booming — but not because of
the usual suspects.
After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the
slasher spoof “Scary Movie” topped ticket sales with $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 The
Walt Disney Co.’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
This weekend, comedy was the underdog champ. Though the genre has been
all but left for dead in theaters, the sixth “Scary Movie” notched a
franchise-best $105.5 million global launch. The Wayans brother comedy
even outdid its primary satirical target, the “Scream” franchise.
Earlier this year, “Scream 7” debuted with $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.”
“This is an outstanding opening for a comedy sequel this far into the
series,” said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm
FranchiseRe. "It’s a huge bounceback after the last episode crashed in
2013 when Anna Faris and Regina Hall were excluded. The weekend figure
is triple the average for the genre.”
Reviews weren’t good (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores
(a “B” CinemaScore) were so-so. But that didn’t stop the $30-million
“Scary Movie” from dominating its much bigger-budget competition.
“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 $29.3 million
domestically.
“Masters of the Universe,” starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, added
$25 million overseas. But for a film that cost nearly $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 $1.45 billion success of that film, “Masters of the
Universe” will be closer to a flop for the toy company.
A24’s “Backrooms,” last weekend’s top release, slid steeply on its
second weekend, dropping 68% with $25.9 million. But “Backrooms,” a $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 $212 million worldwide, moving ahead of “Marty Supreme."
In a near tie for third place, Focus Features’ “Obsession” grossed $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.
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This image released by Amazon MGM Studios shows Nicholas Galitzine
and Camila Mendes in a scene from "Masters of the Universe." (Amazon
MGM Studios via AP)
 “Obsession,” about a man who wishes
his crush returned his affections, was made for less than $1
million. It’s now grossed $152.1 million domestically and $224.8
million worldwide — a record for Focus.
In its third weekend, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” fell all the way
to sixth place with $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 $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, of 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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