“What’s your favorite scary movie?” In the 90’s, it was an all-too-common question asked amongst horror movie fans, and even non-fans, alike. The culprit? The Scream trilogy. With its homage to horror history around every corner, and groundbreaking self-mockery of the genre, the Scream franchise quickly put horror movies back onto the cinema map. The first film in the series, alone, made roughly $103 million in domestic sales, and was the 15th highest grossing film of 1996, according to Boxofficemojo.com. Why, then, roughly ten years later, would its latest appendage to the Scream family— Scream 4 —fall so drastically short at the box office?
Scream 4 had many of the same elements of the series, and a formula that couldn’t possibly disappoint. Many of the key players returned to the screen: Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell all reprised their major roles from the sequels ten years beforehand. The men behind the camera were also heavily involved: Scream vet, Kevin Williamson, drafted the script, and horror genius, Wes Craven, returned to direct. With its opening weekend only bringing in $19.3 million, however, many horror fans wondered what, exactly, killed the numbers.
A few theories exist that might help…bury the hatchet.
Generational Differences
The franchise’s success took pride in the fact that it was a horror whodunit with an all-star cast, targeting audiences who were not only interested in a few good kills, but also seeking a decent script. The bulk of the audiences who were interested in such a craze were the teens and twenty-somethings of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Fast forward to 2011, and those same moviegoers have matured considerably, shifting priorities to raising families, purchasing bank-owned homes, and climbing the corporate ladder. Their carefree Friday nights at the theater have long been put to rest, and the thought of chasing after a horror film's release -- even a Scream one -- is nowhere on the radar. Why, then, wouldn’t a new generation of teens be interested in the saga? It’s simple: the teens of today were in pampers when the Scream phenomena hit the nation. It is a pretty big assumption on the studio’s part that the entirety of Scream 4’s target audience has even heard of Sidney Prescott. (Hint: If you just asked yourself who Sidney Prescott is, you get my point).
Not the Right Time
Horror, like any other genre, goes in significant popularity waves. In the 60’s, the early 80’s, and with the creation of Scream in the late 90’s, horror films found themselves ruling the box office with the birth of one great hit after another. People squirming in their seats would eagerly scream for more, thus creating a horde of bloody films that tantalized the thriller addicts of the time. After awhile, however, audiences become bored with seeing the same prescription on the big screen, and something entirely new has to take the reins. It’s safe to say, then, that the genre of choice in early 2011 was not that of the horror kind, and Scream 4 was born into a world that is simply not interested. The money-makers of this time are 1980’s remakes and new sci-fi fantasy blockbusters, where pirates, wizards, and vampires of any variety will automatically bring in a young moviegoer to the theater on a Friday night. Sadly, the other film types become viewed as unwanted guests.
Been There, Done That
Examining the film, itself, Scream 4 is—in essence—a resurgence of the original film. Instead of a shocking new story, the film takes us back to the elements that made the original so popular. It’s quite possible that audiences of today have seen these elements one too many times, and were hoping for something entirely new. Watching Sidney Prescott and her torturous family on the big screen one more time quite simply could’ve bored viewers... to death. Can Sidney captivate her audience with an entirely new story someday? Only time will tell.
Do Over
It’s murder to figure out the fate of the Scream franchise at this point. The fourth installment’s box office numbers might kill the series altogether, or — like Piranha’s upcoming sequel release after the original flopped — the big shots over at Dimension Films might give the go-ahead for Scream 5 without any cause for concern. Sadly, they've yet to utter a word. Regardless, the Scream franchise is to the horror cinema canon what the Mona Lisa is to classic art: it will never be unappreciated or forgotten. Perhaps, one day, when modern horror is at its high tide once more and audiences are ready for a revamp, the Scream family will thrive again with an appendage that keeps audiences gushing for more.
- Scream 4
- Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Kristen Bell, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts, Anna Paquin
- Written by Kevin Williamson
- Directed by Wes Craven
- Running time: 111 minutes
Patrick Keown - Patrick Keown is an MBA graduate with over six years professional business analysis experience. He is working on his first novel.
Join the Conversation