SCREAM with Ryan C Showers Podcast@SCREAMwithRCS
SCREAM 7 and READY OR NOT 2’s box office & reviews expose a creepy divide between what online “film critics” promote in their echo chambers vs. what audiences are actually interested in.
Scream 7 was unfairly panned by narcissistic critics who “used their platforms” to virtue signal partisan sentiments rather than review the movie in professional and ethical ways. Yet, Scream 7 smashed all of the franchise records financially (including a $64M domestic opening) and audiences are still eating it up to nearly $200M.
In contrast, the same critics rolled out the red carpet for READY OR NOT 2 and provided the most favorable coverage to Radio Silence’s boutique sequel. Yet, RON2 couldn’t even break $10M its opening weekend ($9.1M domestic) and made less than even their own ABIGAIL two years ago, which I considered a huge flop at the time.
For Radio Silence to make a sequel to their own IP, and for it to not even clear $10M domestically, is pretty devastating. (Especially after their relevance should have risen with two $100M+ Scream films!)
So, the movie people are actually paying to watch in theaters is the one the “critics” have lectured everyone not to see, and the film that “critics” have tried force-feeding to success was flatly rejected by audiences.
I loved both films, but the numbers don’t lie. Film criticism/activism in 2026 is out-of-touch with the direction of the industry, market, and people who actually pay to see movies.
