'Scream 7' opens with a franchise-best $64.1 million in box-office win for Paramount

NEW YORK (AP) — "Scream" is still making a killing.

Thirty years after the original slasher movie opened in theaters,"Scream 7"debuted with a franchise-best $64.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The bigger-than-expected opening is a win for Paramount, which on Friday announcedits acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

In a so-far sluggish 2026 at the box office, "Scream 7" managed the best debut of the year, easily displacing last weekend's champ, the Stephen Curry-produced animated film"GOAT,"from Sony Pictures.

"Scream 7," which cost $45 million to make, got a boost from the return of Neve Campbell, as Sidney Prescott. The actor sat out 2023's "Scream VI," but was drawn back for the seventh film by a reported $7 million payday. Original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Matthew Lillard also co-star.

"Scream VI" had set a new high (not accounting for inflation) for the franchise with a $44.4 million launch. That film starred Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, along with series regulars. But in 2023, Barrerawas dropped from the seventh filmby the film's production company, Spyglass Media Group, after making comments onthe Israel-Hamas warthat some deemed antisemitic. Ortega subsequently dropped out of the film.

Kevin Williamson, who wrote the 1996 original and many of the following chapters, stepped into direct, retooling the film around Campbell and company. In the film, Sidney and her 17-year-old daughter are haunted by Ghostface in the suburban community of Pine Grove.

Reviews were poor (34% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a "B-" CinemaScore) also weren't great.

But the overperformance of "Scream 7" gave Paramount more to celebrate on a potentially historic weekend for the studio. On Friday, its parent company, Paramount Skydance, announced its intention to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery afterNetflixdropped out of negotiations. The deal,which forms a Hollywood colossusand remakes the media landscape, awaits regulatory approval.

"Scream 7" benefited significantly from IMAX screens and premium format screens, something no previous "Scream" movie had on opening. The movie added $33.1 million overseas.

After claiming the top spot in its second weekend, "GOAT" dropped to second place with $12 million in its third weekend. It's so far accumulated $74 million domestically."Wuthering Heights,"Emerald Fennell's Emily Brontë adaptation, fell to third place with $7 million in its third weekend. Its three-week haul stands at $72.3 million.

The only new release to make a dent in theaters was the concert film "Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined." Distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, it opened with $3.7 million in 836 theaters. Another concert film also continues to perform well: "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert." The Baz Luhrmann "Elvis" addendum added 1,615 theaters after a strong debut last week. The Neon release collected $3.5 million, pushing its two-week gross to $7.8 million.

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Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. "Scream 7," $64.1 million.

2. "GOAT," $12 million.

3. "Wuthering Heights," $7 million.

4. "Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined," $3.7 million.

5. "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," $3.5 million.

6. "Crime 101," $3.4 million.

7. "I Can Only Imagine 2," $3.1 million.

8. "Send Help," $2.8 million.

9. "How to Make a Killing," $1.6 million.

10. "Zootopia 2," $1.4 million.

byNeo

in

March 01, 2026

'Scream 7' opens with a franchise-best $64.1 million in box-office win for Paramount

NEW YORK (AP) — "Scream" is still making a killing. Thirty years after the original slasher movie op...

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Shia LaBeouf says 'gay people are scary to me' while claiming homophobia led to arrest

Shia LaBeouf is attributing his arrest in New Orleans last week to his fear of "big gay people."

In aninterview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghanreleased on Saturday, the 39-year-old actor shared what he said led to hisarrest amid the city's Mardi Gras celebrations.

"When I'm standing by myself and three gays are next to me touching my leg, I get scared," he said. "I'm sorry. If that's homophobic, then I'm that. Yeah."

"I'll be honest with you, big gay people are scary to me," LaBeouf added.

A representative for LaBeouf did not immediately return a request for comment.

The actor, best known for his starring role in "Transformers" and the Disney Channel's "Even Stevens," was arrested in New Orleans last week and accused of hitting two people outside of a Royal Street business amid the celebrations, according to police.

"LaBeouf then reportedly assaulted another person — punching him in the nose," police said in a statement last week. "LaBeouf was again held down until police arrived."

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It is unclear what exactly led to the incident.

But in the interview with Callaghan, the actor appeared to suggest he had an altercation with a gay person or was annoyed by gay people's presence near him.

"I'm good with gay — be gay over there, though," he said. "Don't be gay in my lap."

"That's why. I was drunk and it's Mardi Gras. So everything I'm saying is nonsense," he added.

LaBeouf was arrested upon his release from the hospital that day for treatment "of unknown injuries." He was charged with two counts of simple battery, according authorities.

Last week's was not his first run-in with the law, nor were his latest comments his first bigoted remarks.

LaBeouf was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of public drunkenness,The Associated Press reported. LaBeouf made racist remarks to police upon his arrest, the AP reported. The actor later apologized, citing his addiction as a struggle, and the public drunkenness allegations were dropped.

He was sued in 2020 by his ex-partner, British singer FKA Twigs, who accused him choking her and knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease. The case was settled out of court last year.

byNeo

in

March 01, 2026

Shia LaBeouf says 'gay people are scary to me' while claiming homophobia led to arrest

Shia LaBeouf is attributing his arrest in New Orleans last week to his fear of "big gay people." In ...

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Susan Sarandon says she's been blacklisted from Hollywood for recent Gaza remarks

Susan Sarandon says she hasn't been working in America because her agents "fired" her "for marching and speaking out about Gaza."

Key Points

• The actress explained that she "couldn't do any major film" or "anything connected with Hollywood."

• The Thelma & Louise star has primarily been working in Europe for the past few years.

Susan Sarandonsays that advocating for the people of Gaza has drastically impacted her career trajectory.

TheThelma & Louiseactress spoke candidly about struggling to find work in the American film industry during apress conferencein Barcelona on Friday ahead of the 40th Goya Awards.

"I was fired by my agency specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza — for asking for a ceasefire — and it became impossible for me to even be on television," Sarandon said. "I don't know lately if it's changed, [but] I couldn't do any major film, anything connected with Hollywood."

United Talent Agencydropped Sarandon as a clientin November 2023 after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally and drew controversy for suggesting that Jewish Americans are "getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence."

She laterapologized for the statement, writing, "I deeply regret diminishing this reality and hurting people with this comment. It was my intent to show solidarity in the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so."

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to UTA for comment.

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At the press conference, Sarandon said that since 2023 she has been able to act only in Europe. "I found agents ultimately in England and in Italy, and I have worked there," she said. "I just did a film in Italy, and I did a play at the Old Vic for a number of months."

TheRocky Horror Picture Showactress added that she has faced challenges getting cast in those countries, too. "This Italian director that just hired me, he was told not to hire me," she said. "So that's still recently. He didn't listen, but they had that conversation. So right now, I kind of specialize in tiny films with directors who have never directed and are independent films, and films that are in Europe or in Italy. So that's the main reason I haven't been working as much."

Sarandon also applauded Spain and its government for raisingobjections to Israel's actions in Gaza, noting how different the country's attitude has been compared to that of the United States.

"In a place where you feel repression and censorship, to see Spain and to see the president and what he says, and the support that he's giving about Gaza, and to have actors like Javier Bardem come forward with such a strong voice is so important to us in the United States," she said. "When you turn on the TV and you see how strong Spain is and how clear that you are morally about these issues, it makes you feel less alone, and it makes you feel that there is hope because of you all. You just don't hear that on television in the United States."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Sarandon has appeared in a handful of films released by major American studios since being dropped by her agents, including Netflix'sThe Six Triple EightandNonnas. However, those projects began production before November 2023.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byNeo

in

March 01, 2026

Susan Sarandon says she's been blacklisted from Hollywood for recent Gaza remarks

Susan Sarandon says she hasn't been working in America because her agents "fired" her "for marching an...

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At least 10 killed in Pakistan as protesters try to storm US Consulate over Khamenei's death

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Sunday left at least 10 people dead and more than 50 others injured as pro-Iran demonstrators attempted to storm the U.S. Consulate, authorities said.

Pakistan Iran US Israel

In the north of the country, demonstrators also attacked U.N. and government offices.

The violence came after theUnited States and Israel attacked Iran, killing its Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei. Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said that at least 25 people were also wounded in the clashes and some of them were in critical condition.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his "profound sorrow over the martyrdom" of Khamenei" and conveyed his condolences to Iran, according to his office. He said: "Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss."

Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city's main government hospital, confirmed six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility. However, she said the death toll rose to 10 after four critically wounded people died.

In the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, thousands of Shiite protesters angered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), government spokesman Shabir Mir said, adding that all staff working for those organizations was safe.

Mir said protesters repeatedly clashed with police at various places in the region, damaged the offices of a local charity, and set fire to police offices. However, he said authorities had deployed troops and brought the situation under control.

Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said at least two protesters were killed in the clashes.

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar.

It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date.

Consulate windows smashed

In Karachi, which is the capital of southern Sindh province and Pakistan's largest city, senior police official Irfan Baloch said that protesters briefly attacked the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, but were later dispersed.

He dismissed as baseless reports that any part of the consulate building was set on fire. However, he said that protesters torched a nearby police post and smashed windows of the consulate before security forces arrived and regained control.

Witnesses said that dozens of Shiite protesters remained gathered about a kilometer (half-mile) from the consulate, urging others to join them. They said one of the protesters had tried to burn a window of the consulate, before security forces arrived there and dispersed the demonstrators.

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Appeal for calm

The clashes prompted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to issue an appeal for calm.

"Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, every citizen of Pakistan shares in the grief of the people of Iran," Naqvi said in a statement.

He described it as "a day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah and for the people of both Iran and Pakistan," but urged people not to take the law into their own hands and to express their protests peacefully.

The provincial government of Sindh in a statement also urged citizens to express their views peacefully and warned against engaging in violence.

Protests in the area surrounding the U.S. Consulate in Karachi went on for hours, with dozens of Shiite youth, some covering their faces, throwing stones at law enforcement officials and vowing to reach the consulate, where hundreds of police and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed.

Security raised at US embassy and consulates

In Islamabad, police fired tear gas and swung batons as hundreds of Shiite protesters, angered by the killing of Khamenei, tried to march toward the U.S. Embassy. The clashes took place outside the Diplomatic Enclave, where the embassy is located and additional police had been deployed.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities also used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of demonstrators attempting to approach the U.S. Consulate to hold a rally to denounce the killing of the Iranian leader, police said.

Shiites also held a peaceful rally in Multan, a city in Punjab province, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States.

Mamoona Sherazi, who attended the rally, said that she was protesting Khamenei's killing. She described him as a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites, adding that he also supported Sunni Muslims facing oppression. "God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel," she said.

Shiites also held a rally and clashes with police repeatedly near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, police said. Rallies against Israel and the United States were also planned in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Authorities said that the government has stepped up security around the U.S. Embassy in the capital, and consulates across the country to avoid any further violence.

Shiites make up roughly 15% of Pakistan's population of about 250 million and represent one of the largest Shiite communities in the world. They have frequently staged anti-Israel and anti-U. S. rallies in the past, though clashes of this scale are rare.

Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Babar Dogar in Lahore, and Asim Tanveer in Multan, contributed to this story.

byNeo

in

March 01, 2026

At least 10 killed in Pakistan as protesters try to storm US Consulate over Khamenei's death

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on...

Read More