Scary Movie Faces a Dismal Rotten Tomatoes Forecast—Will Audiences Care?
Early Rotten Tomatoes chatter has Scary Movie bracing for a splat. But for a spoof series built on crowd laughs, do critics’ scores even move the needle?
Bit of a heads-up: if you were expecting Scary Movie 6 (or just Scary Movie, as they're bizarrely calling it) to dazzle critics, the bookmakers are not sharing your optimism. But, let's be honest, when has a spoof ever been a critical darling? The series is practically built on being daft, trashy and—every so often—genuinely funny, regardless of what the posh critics reckoned.
Critical Outlook: Not So Hot
The prediction markets—yes, people really do gamble on this stuff—have been giving Scary Movie a rather bleak look on Rotten Tomatoes. According to Kalshi odds (basically prediction betting, for those not in the know) from 29 May, the best anyone expects this latest entry to land is in the low 30s for its RT score. Here’s where it gets oddly specific:
- 'Above 10%': 92% chance
- 'Above 30%': 58% chance
- 'Above 50%': Just 20%
- 'Above 60%': 14%
- 'Above 75%': 4%' (so, let's not get carried away)
- 'Above 90%': Less than 1%
Remember, for a film to get a 'Fresh' rating, it needs 60%+ positive reviews. So unless something dramatic changes between now and release, expect to see that little green splat next to the title.
What’s New with the Film?
This time out, director Michael Tiddes is at the helm, and they've managed to wrangle the original cast back together—Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, the whole lot. Paramount is treating it as a spiritual follow-up to the first two films from the early 2000s, which, frankly, is probably for the best if you ever sat through the fifth one. The Wayans haven’t touched the franchise since Scary Movie 2, so their return might just inject a bit of the old chaos back in.
Release Date—and the Usual PR Games
The movie drops 5 June, but as of now, nobody’s sure when the critics are actually allowed to publish their reviews. Usually, when there’s a hush on the embargo this close to release, it means the studio isn’t expecting glowing write-ups and would prefer everyone to buy tickets before they notice. Make of that what you will.
How Does It Stack Up Against the Rest?
Predictions aren’t just random guesses—there’s a bit of history backing them up. Since betting opened back on 10 May, the projected Rotten Tomatoes score has never drifted higher than 34% or lower than 27%, so nobody’s exactly betting big on a surprise critical hit. On another market, only 29% think it’ll even reach 50%.
For reference, here’s how the other entries faired with critics:
- Scary Movie (2002): 52%
- Scary Movie 3 (2003): 36%
- Scary Movie 4 (2006): 34%
- Scary Movie 3 (supposedly 2001 in the source, but was actually '3' in 2003 and '2' in 2001): 13%
- Scary Movie V (2013): a miserable 4%
The crowds aren't massively more enthusiastic: audience scores for all five hover between 38% and 53%—clearly not anyone’s all-time favourite comedy. In fairness, spoof films like Vampires Suck, Stan Helsing or A Haunted House get absolutely battered by reviewers as a rule. Yes, outliers like Shaun of the Dead or Tucker & Dale vs. Evil get actual critical respect, but those are the exception, not the norm.
But Will It Make Money?
Here’s the real twist: despite the critics being set to tear chunks off it, Scary Movie is picking up pace at the box office. A report from BoxOffice Pro (as of 29 May) reckons it’ll bring in anywhere between $42 million and $53 million on opening in North America, which is quite the boost from initial estimates of $25–35 million. Clearly, there’s still an appetite for slapstick horror jokes and rubber-faced mask gags, at least if you’re after a brain-off Friday night at the cinema.