The Scary Movie box office previews have delivered a genuine jolt this weekend, with the rebooted comedy pulling in an estimated $7.5 million from screenings that kicked off at 2 p.m. The number lands well above expectations and signals that the long-dormant franchise may have plenty of life left in it. Meanwhile, the big-budget Masters of the Universe is off to a steadier, more modest start.

Scary Movie Has the First Laugh

For a comedy, that $7.5 million preview haul is striking. It places the Paramount-Miramax reboot in rarefied company, sitting just beneath Scream 7’s $7.8 million previews, which fueled a franchise-record $63.6 million opening. It also tops a slate of R-rated comparison titles, including 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which drew $5.875 million in previews on its way to a $56.5 million debut.

The performance is all the more notable given the film’s origins. Directed by Michael Tiddes and headlined by a roughly $30 million ensemble featuring Anna Faris, Regina Hall, and Marlon and Shawn Wayans, the movie had originally been pegged for a domestic opening in the $40 million to $45 million range. The early momentum suggests it could push beyond that.

There’s also a familiar critics-versus-audiences divide at play. Reviewers have been cool toward the film, leaving it at 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but moviegoers appear to be enjoying themselves far more, handing it a 68 percent audience score. For a franchise built on broad, irreverent parody, that gap may matter little at the register.

Masters of the Universe Powers Up Slowly

Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe, a $170 million production from Mattel and Escape Artists, is eyeing around $4 million from its own 2 p.m. previews. The Travis Knight-directed take on the 1980s toy line and cartoon brings a stacked cast that includes Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, and Alison Brie.

That preview figure sits just under comparable PG-13 family films rooted in 1980s nostalgia, such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife at $4.5 million and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at $4.7 million, both of which opened in the mid-$40 million range. Importantly, the real test for a family-oriented title like this comes Saturday, when its core audience typically turns out in force.

The critical reception offers encouragement. The revamped property earned a certified-fresh 71 percent from critics and a strong 89 percent from audiences, a markedly better showing than another pricey 1980s update, Disney’s Tron: Ares, which critics powered down at 52 percent even as audiences responded more warmly at 83 percent.

The Weekend’s Wild Cards

Beyond the two headliners, a couple of other titles are shaping the weekend picture. Fathom Entertainment and Glitch Productions’ The Amazing Digital Circus is tracking toward roughly $6.8 million in its first full day, putting it in the mix near the top of the chart.

Looming over the standings is A24’s Backrooms, which could overtake Masters of the Universe for the No. 2 spot with a projected second-frame haul of $32 million to $37 million. Whether that materializes remains to be seen, but it sets up a competitive scramble behind Scary Movie’s surprising surge.

For now, the story of the weekend is clear: a comedy reboot that few expected to break out is having the first laugh, and if these early numbers hold, it may well have the last one too.