NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The is booming 鈥� but not because of the usual suspects.
After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof topped ticket sales with $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily besting the far-from-mighty 鈥淢asters of the Universe.鈥�
A new order has lately come to movie theaters, which have seen to the horror hits 鈥淥bsession鈥� and 鈥淏ackrooms,鈥� both made by YouTubers-turned-filmmakers. Those movies have even outshone The Walt Disney Co.鈥檚
This weekend, comedy was the underdog champ. Though the genre has been all but left for dead in theaters, the sixth 鈥淪cary Movie鈥� notched a franchise-best $105.5 million global launch. The Wayans brother comedy even outdid its primary satirical target, the 鈥淪cream鈥� franchise. Earlier this year,
Both franchises are distributed by Paramount Pictures, though Miramax produced the new 鈥淪cary Movie.鈥� Co-written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, the sequel marks the Wayans鈥� return to the franchise after their departure over creative differences following 2001鈥檚 鈥淪cary Movie 2.鈥�
鈥淭his is an outstanding opening for a comedy sequel this far into the series,鈥� said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe. “It鈥檚 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.鈥�
Reviews weren鈥檛 good (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a 鈥淏鈥� CinemaScore) were so-so. But that didn鈥檛 stop the $30-million 鈥淪cary Movie鈥� from dominating its much bigger budget competition.
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 鈥淢asters of the Universe鈥� film following a 1987 movie of the same title, opened with $29.3 million domestically.
鈥淢asters of the Universe,鈥� 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鈥檚 Mattel Studios鈥� first release since 2023鈥檚 鈥淏arbie.鈥� But after the of that film, 鈥淢asters of the Universe鈥� will be closer to a flop for the toy company.
last weekend鈥檚 top release, slid steeply on its second weekend, dropping 68% with $25.9 million. But 鈥淏ackrooms,鈥� a $10 million movie based on 20-year-old Kane Parson鈥檚 YouTube series remains a record-breaking phenomenon. It’s now A24鈥檚 highest grossing film ever with $212 million worldwide, moving ahead of
In a near tie for third place, Focus Features鈥� 鈥淥bsession鈥� grossed $25.6 million in its fourth weekend. That marked a paltry 7% drop from the previous weekend for 26-year-old Curry Barker鈥檚 horror sensation. Not accounting for inflation, no horror movie has ever had a better fourth weekend.
鈥淥bsession,鈥� about a man who wishes his crush returned his affections, was made for less than $1 million. It鈥檚 now grossed $152.1 million domestically and $224.8 million worldwide 鈥� a record for Focus.
In its third weekend, 鈥淭he Mandalorian and Grogu鈥� fell all the way to sixth place with $10 million. It was even bested by Fathom Entertainment鈥檚 鈥淭he Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,鈥� a combination of the last two episodes of the animated series. It collected $12.7 million.
A few other movies hit milestones.
Lionsgate鈥檚 Michael Jackson biopic became the studio鈥檚 highest grossing film ever with $898 million globally. That puts it ahead, not accounting for inflation, both the highest grossing entries in the studio鈥檚 鈥淭wilight鈥� and 鈥淗unger Games鈥� franchises.
And 2026 got its first billion-dollar 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, 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. 鈥淪cary Movie,鈥� $55 million.
2. 鈥淢asters of the Universe,鈥� $29.3 million.
3. 鈥淏ackrooms,鈥� $25.9 million.
4. 鈥淥bsession,鈥� $25.6 million.
5. 鈥淭he Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,鈥� $12.7 million.
6. 鈥淪tar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,鈥� $10 million.
7. 鈥淢ichael,鈥� $7.7 million.
8. 鈥淭he Breadwinner,鈥� $3.4 million.
9. 鈥淧ressure,鈥� $3 million.
10. 鈥淭he Devil Wears Prada 2,鈥� $2.8 million.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
