(Image Source: Paramount Skydance, MGM Studios)
The North American box office has recently seen a string of low-budget horror films dominate, consistently outperforming traditional high-budget blockbusters. Following the strong performance of "Backrooms" and "Obsession" against "The Mandalorian and Grogu", last weekend saw "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" similarly crushed by the horror parody "Scary Movie 6," which ultimately claimed the top spot.
(Image Source: MGM Studios)
"Scary Movie 6" pulled in an impressive $55 million domestically last weekend, marking the franchise's highest North American opening and surpassing the $49.7 million record set by its fourth installment. Internationally, the film added $50.5 million, bringing its global opening weekend total to over $105 million. This figure even outpaced the $97 million opening of this year's "Scream 7," the very franchise "Scary Movie" parodies, meaning the spoof has now outgrossed the original. For a comedy film with a production budget of just $30 million, these are truly astonishing numbers.
In stark contrast, the $170 million-budgeted "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" faced a much bleaker outlook. It debuted with a mere $29.3 million domestically and only $25 million internationally, totaling a disappointing $54 million globally for its opening weekend. Given this trajectory, "He-Man" will struggle to even cross the $100 million mark worldwide.