ScreamWire Daily

Scream 7 opened to an estimated $64.1M domestic (3,580 theaters) and $97.2M global on a reported $45M production budget; CinemaScore B‑ and Rotten Tomatoes 34% critics / 78% audience suggest frontloaded legs, but Paramount/Spyglass executives prioritized the release under new ownership (David Ellison/Skydance) with studio heads Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein driving the rollout.

Oscar-nominated short filmmaker Lee Knight signed with United Agents (UK) and TFC Management (US); he plans to expand his short A Friend of Dorothy into a feature under his Filthy Gorgeous Productions banner; Disney+ picked up the short in Europe.

Producer Roy Lee teases the Psycho Killer villain may have a semi‑indestructible, possibly military‑experiment origin; screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by Gavin Polone for 20th Century Studios — critics and audiences have been harsh but the killer's enigmatic backstory remains a focal point.

Nicole Kidman is attached to star as an LAPD detective in a crime thriller directed by Karyn Kusama; outlet lists project as Kusama‑directed with no distributor, budget or production timeline disclosed.

Fremantle’s Undeniable label sold Jenny Carchman’s Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal to Channel 4 (UK) plus multiple international broadcasters — deals include ABC Australia, Paramount Streaming/ Bell Media (Canada), ZDF (Germany), ORF (Austria), Al Jazeera (MENA) and others; the related civil trial settled days before it was due to start.

Paramount expects to realize its $6B+ synergy target from mostly non-labor cuts — tech stack consolidation, procurement, real estate, marketing efficiencies and ERP migration — and says production capacity won't be reduced despite market speculation about large layoffs linked to the Paramount–WBD merger.

Gulf-based film/TV pros report operations continuing but subdued; airports, a luxury hotel and civilian casualties from intercepted strikes in UAE disrupted shoots and logistics over the weekend — producers cite travel, insurance and crew-safety concerns as immediate business pain points.

A24 bolsters its UK TV arm by hiring Patrick Walters (lead producer on Heartstopper and Sweetpea) from See-Saw to expand A24’s global TV slate; Walters will work with UK heads Piers Wenger and Rose Garnett and A24 signals increased TV investment and development capacity out of London.

WGA West pulled its Los Angeles awards ceremony due to an ongoing staff strike; the New York awards will proceed as scheduled — a live labor disruption affecting guild programming and visibility during awards season.

Ryan Coogler’s Southern‑Gothic vampire drama Sinners won Outstanding Performance by a Cast; Michael B. Jordan beat Timothée Chalamet for lead actor. Jessie Buckley won lead actress for Hamnet — outcomes that could shift awards momentum ahead of the Oscars.

First trailer for Scary Movie 6 is out; franchise creators Marlon, Shawn and Keenen Ivory Wayans returned to write (with Rick Alvarez producing), Michael Tiddes directs, Miramax produces and Paramount will release worldwide on June 12 — the film spoofs recent titles including Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance.

Short psychological thriller The Therapist (short) premieres exclusively on ALLBLK March 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET; written and co-directed by Ahmad Muhammad and Gabriel Reis; leads include Vanessa Simmons and Trell Woodberry — short film release, streaming-exclusive debut.

Zahn McClarnon’s season-two directorial debut (episode 2) went well and he plans to direct again in season five; season four episode 3 escalates Irene Vaggan’s menace (she kisses Leaphorn at gunpoint) and Chee shows disturbing symptoms after entering the hogan — showrunner John Wirth and cast discuss tonal risk-taking.

Screening event: Collider/Prime Video offering a free early theatrical screening of Invincible S4 Episodes 1–2 on March 18 with a post-screening Q&A featuring creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman and co-showrunner/executive producer Simon Racioppa; Season 4 introduces Grand Regent Thragg (Lee Pace) and follows Mark Grayson's darker arc after S3.

Indian indie Arjun Bewakoof, from the makers of Andaman, is a genre-blending neo-noir dark comedy starring Sanjay Mishra and Rajesh Tailang; the project is audience-funded via Open Theatre’s investment/pay-per-view model, signaling alternative indie financing routes in India.