ScreamWire Daily

Pixar’s Hoppers opened around $40M US (best for a Pixar original since Coco) powering a $91M domestic weekend, while Maggie Gyllenhaal’s period horror-ish The Bride! is flopping with roughly $8M–$10M domestic and weak international, spotlighting risks and high costs for auteur-driven/period genre films.

Shudder will air a live finale of The Last Drive‑In with Joe Bob Briggs and replace the series with four quarterly live specials across 2026 (first: Joe Bob's Wicked Witchy Wingding on April 24), continuing the franchise as seasonal live events on Shudder and AMC+.

Jason Blum says Blumhouse — now merged with Atomic Monster — will lean into more established horror IP while preserving capacity to make very low-budget films (including sub-$1M productions), and has hired a Shudder executive (Sam Zimmerman) to help maintain horror-first development.

UK‑Ireland box office fell 18% in February 2026 to £82.2M year‑over‑year, with Paramount’s Scream 7 opening to £5M (franchise best opening week at £3.3M) and holds/cumulative totals noted for The Housemaid (Lionsgate) and Wuthering Heights driving the month.

Ian Tuason wrote and directed Undertone — an A24 horror shot in his childhood Toronto home inspired by his caregiving for dying parents — a claustrophobic, audio-driven supernatural film led by Nina Kiri (on-screen) and Adam DiMarco (voice) that opens in theaters March 13, 2025.

UK financiers at Glasgow Film Festival say indie financing is morphing post‑streamer era: Ashland Hill, Goldfinch and Media Finance Capital stress flexibility, virtual stages and sales-agent-led presales, and cite ~$1M as the sweet spot for elevated-genre budgets.

Maggie Gyllenhaal describes building a distinctive IMAX visual language for The Bride! (a monstrous, stylized take on Bride of Frankenstein) that shapes tone and spectacle for the film’s theatrical presentation.

Full script for Zach Cregger’s upcoming Resident Evil film reportedly leaked online and circulated on message boards — readers report a comedy-leaning, slapstick take focused on an organ courier (Austin Abrams) racing to Raccoon City while infected, provoking mixed fan reactions about fidelity to Capcom lore.

Unifrance staged the 31st Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York with a 22-film lineup (including Julia Ducournau’s Alpha and François Ozon’s The Stranger) drawing U.S. buyers and distributors such as Sony Pictures Classics, Neon and Mubi despite some filmmaker cancellations tied to geopolitical tensions.

Skyline Media secured Apple TV distribution for Vietnamese psychological thriller Sister Sister across 36 territories starting March 8 (largest Vietnamese release on the platform in ~10 years); the film grossed $2.7M domestically in Vietnam and has spawned a follow-up that earned $4.6M.

Performers at The Basement — an LA immersive horror escape-room operator — ratified a collective‑bargaining agreement with Actors’ Equity, making them the world’s first escape‑room employees to secure a union contract after organizing two years ago.

Blumhouse Television has hired Abbey Morris as SVP of Development & Programming to oversee scripted development with Melissa Aouate and report to Chris Dickie; Morris joins from Irish Cowboy Productions where she executive produced on The Umbrella Academy season 4 and developed the Horizon Zero Dawn adaptation.

Sarah Michelle Gellar revealed Kathryn Newton's wardrobe in Ready or Not 2 includes an intentional Buffy pilot homage; Ready or Not 2 stars Samara Weaving and Newton and is set for theatrical release March 20, 2026.

Screen Daily’s UK‑Ireland 2026 release calendar lists release dates across the year, flagging genre titles such as Paramount’s Scream 7, Disney’s Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy—useful for distribution windows, counterprogramming and territory scheduling.

Paramount's Scary Movie 6 trailer returns franchise staples Anna Faris and Regina Hall, is directed by Michael Tiddes with the Wayans writing, and is drawing controversy for jokes that punch down (gender identity) and politicized satire signaled by Marlon Wayans' comments about 'cancel culture.'

Jason Blum accepted the PGA Milestone Award, used his speech to champion producers and creators over algorithmic curation, and referenced Blumhouse’s 2024 merger with James Wan’s Atomic Monster while highlighting recent genre credits like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Black Phone 2.

John Valley’s thriller American Dollhouse will world‑premiere in SXSW 2026’s Midnighters program on March 13 — a festival launch that positions the Austin director’s film for genre exposure and buyer interest.

Mckenna Grace—who had a brief but notable role in Scream 7—says she didn't learn her character until shortly before production due to tight script security; Scream 7 opened to a franchise-best $64M domestic and $97M worldwide.

Midsummer Scream returns to Long Beach Convention Center August 7–9, 2026 with the theme “Horror Musicals,” selling passes now and positioning the convention as a large fan/creator marketplace for immersive horror experiences.

Drew Goddard is actively writing and set to direct The Matrix 5 with Lana Wachowski as an EP; the script is in development with no cast confirmations or release timeline announced.

Actor Corey Parker, who appeared in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and had recurring TV roles including Will & Grace, has died at 60 after a cancer battle.

Blumhouse’s newsletter/op-ed contrasts Jason Blum and Amy Pascal at the PGA honors, arguing that Blum represents the future of modern, mid-budget genre production amid a shrinking middle ground in Hollywood — a sectoral commentary with implications for how horror economics and indie pipelines are perceived.

Sam Raimi says creative clashes with Dylan O'Brien on horror‑comedy Send Help led to O'Brien pushing the character darker — Raimi ultimately admitted the actor’s instincts improved the arc, highlighting a successful director–actor collaboration on a genre title.

Karl Urban says he'd happily reprise Judge Dredd and supports more Dredd stories as reboot/expansion talk continues (Taika Waititi and Drew Pearce previously linked), but no casting, timeline or deal terms have been confirmed.

BayView Entertainment will release Anthony DiBlasi’s thriller Missionary to digital platforms in March; DiBlasi (Last Shift) directs Dawn Olivieri, Mitch Ryan, and Kip Pardue in a domestic-obsession thriller.

Retrospective on Mick Garris' TV adaptation of Stephen King's Desperation highlights Ron Perlman's possessed sheriff performance, production constraints that left it feeling overlong, and why the TV movie hasn't remained prominent despite strong genre talent.

Dolly is a brutal, backwoods slasher opening in theaters March 6 that introduces a hulking female killer (played by wrestler Max the Impaler); practical FX and a standout jaw-rip kill are praised, though the film leans heavily on Leatherface-style beats and familiar slasher tropes.

Bloody Disgusting revisits John McTiernan’s supernatural horror Nomads on its 40th anniversary, positioning the film as an example of how early horror gigs helped launch directors’ careers and reflecting on its cult status.

WGA members overwhelmingly (97%+) approved bargaining priorities ahead of talks with the AMPTP starting March 16 that focus on shoring up the health plan (which lost $122M across 2023–24), expanding AI protections and boosting minimum pay and residuals; talks led by chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman with co-chairs John August and Danielle Sanchez‑Witzel, while AMPTP is led by new president Gregory Hessinger.

Netflix acquired Ben Affleck’s AI-focused production tools company InterPositive (workforce under 20) and will bring the team in-house with Affleck joining as a senior advisor; terms were not disclosed and the move is framed as aligning AI tooling with creative protections amid ongoing union talks.

SAG‑AFTRA and AMPTP extended actor contract negotiations for another week under a mutual media blackout, with WGA and DGA talks scheduled to follow—delay reduces immediate risk but keeps industry on edge ahead of the WGA expiry and potential downstream impacts on horror/genre shoots.

Kristian Brodie says Curzon CM Development Fund is building talent relationships despite not yet distributing films it helped develop; Curzon’s Curzon Creates initiative produced a micro-budget feature (shot over 10 nights for £100,000) and the company is exploring expanding the program beyond its own ecosystem.

Mike Flanagan is writing and directing a new The Exorcist for Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, production is set to start in New York soon, the cast now includes Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane, Chiwetel Ejiofor and eleven Flanagan regulars, and the film is scheduled to hit theaters March 17, 2027.

Sony and Spyglass are moving forward on a Heart Eyes sequel: Joel Ruben confirms the script is finished, pre‑production is underway, and Mason Gooding is in negotiations to reprise his praised lead role; original made $33M worldwide on an $18M budget.

Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Paramount have set Paranormal Activity 8 for a May 21, 2027 release; Ian Tuason is the filmmaker attached and the new entry is co-financed by Paramount’s Melrose lot with producers including James Wan, Jason Blum and original creator Oren Peli.

Smile 3 is in development but franchise creator/director Parker Finn is reportedly unlikely to return to direct as he’s attached to other projects (including a Possession remake) and has a multi‑year first‑look deal with Paramount; previous entries' budgets/grosses ($17M budget -> $217M global for Smile 1; Smile 2 ~$137M) underscore continued franchise profitability.

Blumhouse–Atomic Monster and Behaviour Interactive have tapped David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja to write a feature adaptation of the hit multiplayer horror game Dead by Daylight (rights acquired by Blumhouse in 2023); Wan, Blum and Behaviour’s Stephen Mulrooney are producing and the search for a director is underway.

Is God Is — Aleshea Harris’s Southern‑Gothic revenge horror adapted from her play — hits U.S. theaters May 15, 2026 via Amazon MGM/Orion with a high‑profile cast including Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Janelle Monáe and Vivica A. Fox; production began in 2024 with Tessa Thompson’s Viva Maude producing.

Wolf Creek: Legacy is in production in South Australia with John Jarratt returning as Mick Taylor, Sean Lahiff directing, supporting cast including Jay Ryan and Laura Gordon; Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting hold North American distribution with a planned wide theatrical release in fall 2026.

Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are developing a feature adaptation of IDW’s comic series The Exorcism at 1600 Penn by Hannah Rose May, with Jason Blum producing and Ryan Turek exec producing alongside the comic’s creator and IDW CEO Davidi Jonas; the property mixes possession horror with contemporary political stakes.

Christian Bale publicly supports Luca Guadagnino's planned American Psycho remake and wishes the project well, while confirming he has no objections and noting there are currently no official casting or production timelines; Lionsgate is attached but details remain sparse.

Steven Conrad says his HBO limited series DTF St. Louis was inspired by hookup-app wreckage among middle‑aged friends; David Harbour was involved early and the show centers a love triangle that ends in murder starring Jason Bateman, Harbour and Linda Cardellini.

Constantine (2005), starring Keanu Reeves and directed by Francis Lawrence, is experiencing renewed streaming popularity on AMC+ and the article notes ongoing sequel development with Reeves confirming another draft of a script is circulating and hopeful studio interest.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal urged a CFIUS-style national security review of the proposed Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery deal — a $111 billion offer backed by billions from Middle Eastern sovereign funds (PIF, QIA, ADIA) — warning of foreign influence despite statements that those funds would forgo governance rights.

Banijay and All3Media reached a roughly $8B mega-merger creating a 170-label production group; All3Media brand will be retired, Marco Bassetti becomes CEO, Jeff Zucker chairs the JV backed by RedBird IMI, and the companies identified about €50M (~$58M) of synergies in distribution, rights and back-office.

Amazon MGM Studios hired Buddy Marini from Warner Bros. Discovery to lead its Japan studio operations out of Tokyo, tasking him with growing local film, TV and anime production and strengthening global ties for Prime Video originals.

A24 debuted the first trailer for Backrooms, a feature adaptation of Kane Parsons’ viral YouTube series directed by Parsons (his A24 debut); the film is co-financed by A24 and Chernin Entertainment, produced with Atomic Monster and 21 Laps, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, and opens theatrically May 29 — the article also notes indie Iron Lung surpassed $43M globally as context for indie horror box-office appetite.