The end of February 2026 will add a new chapter to the long-running Scream story with the release of Scream 7, the first new addition to the franchise since 2023’s Scream 6. Even with the franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the seventh installment is expected to be one of the most successful Scream movies to date when it debuts in theaters. Reports have indicated that it could gross as much as $45 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, which would be the biggest opening of 2026 so far and could challenge for the best opening of any Scream movie to date.
Despite the controversy that has surrounded the franchise over the last few years, those numbers suggest fans are still as eager as ever to see what is in store for Ghostface, Sidney Prescott, Dewey Riley, and the rest of the Scream team. Additionally, only days ahead of the new movie’s release, reports indicate this franchise will not end here.
Buried at the end of a Variety report on Scream 7, insiders indicate that Spyglass Media Group and Paramount Pictures already have plans in place for Scream 8 to go into development. While the report offered no other details about a production or release timeframe, it sets the stage for another epic horror adventure to join this long-standing franchise.
For the time being, Scream 7 is being teased as a “return to form” for the saga, bringing back original Scream star Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, with creator Kevin Williamson directing. Rather than focusing on a new generation of Ghostface survivors, the seventh film is a modern-day sequel centered around Sidney returning to her hometown, where her teenage daughter becomes the killer’s next target, forcing Sidney to do everything in her power to end the villain’s reign of terror.
Should Scream 7 reach the box-office goals insiders are currently predicting, it will push the franchise past $1 billion in total grosses over the last 30 years. Considering it could peak as the highest-grossing Scream movie yet (or close to it), Paramount seems to believe there are plenty of adventures left to tell for Ghostface.
If and when Scream 8 is confirmed for development, the expectation is that it will not be ready to hit theaters until 2028 or 2029, but there is a small chance it could be made quickly enough to make a debut next year. Even with the details being fuzzy, however, once fans find out Sidney and Ghostface’s fates in the new installment, the big question will be how the story gets set up to continue over the next few years.
Scream 7 will debut in theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.
