New To The Monday Morning Hangover Report?
Every Monday, here on the Monday Morning Hangover Report we break down the weekend box office: who won, who didn’t, and what the numbers are really saying about what audiences want right now. It’s your post-weekend debrief with a little cocktail bite.
Opening Pour
February went out with a blood-soaked mic drop. Scream 7 didn’t just win the weekend, it scared the roof off the franchise ceiling with a series-best opening and the biggest domestic debut of 2026 so far. The rest of the chart basically competed for “best supporting film,” with GOAT continuing to prove it has legs, Wuthering Heights settling into its post-holiday run, and two event/concert titles showing (again) that fandom is a currency theaters happily accept.
Top 5 Domestic Films
(Weekend estimates, Feb 27 to Mar 1, from Box Office Mojo)
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Scream 7 — $64.1M
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GOAT — $12.0M
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Wuthering Heights — $6.952M
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Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined — $4.3M
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EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert — $3.505M
Recap
This was a classic “one giant opener changes the weather” weekend. Scream 7 posted $64.1M, while the #2 title (GOAT) came in at $12M. That’s not a close race, that’s a blowout.
And it wasn’t just “people went to the movies.” People went to that movie.
Highlights and insights
1) Scream 7 won because it felt like an event again
The headline is the franchise-best opening. The why is a cocktail of nostalgia and execution: the return of legacy elements, the “back to basics” marketing, and premium formats doing heavy lifting. Reporting out of the weekend notes that IMAX and other premium screens contributed a huge slice of the gross (roughly 40%).
Also worth noting: mixed reviews did not matter. Horror doesn’t need universal critical love when the hook is strong and the opening-weekend urgency is high.
2) GOAT has real legs, and that matters in Q1
A third-weekend $12M is a healthy hold for family animation in late February. It’s not flashy, it’s durable. That’s the kind of title that keeps theaters afloat between big swings, and it signals that audiences are still showing up for something that feels broadly fun and easy.
3) Wuthering Heights is settling into the “post-event” phase
At $6.952M, it’s still very much in the conversation, but the Valentine’s and Presidents’ Day halo is gone. The film’s weekend drop (noted in industry tallies) is the normal gravity you see when romance-driven attendance shifts away from “date night occasion” and into “I’ll catch it later.”
4) Concert films continue to be sneaky box office weapons
Two music/event titles in the Top 5 is not nothing. It’s a reminder that theatrical is increasingly about gatherings. If the movie is a communal experience, audiences show up. Twenty One Pilots and Elvis weren’t trying to beat Scream 7. They were carving out their own lanes and cashing in.
5) The “who didn’t” list is basically everyone who opened opposite Ghostface
If you weren’t Scream 7 this weekend, you were fighting for scraps. That’s not an insult, it’s just what happens when one title becomes the decision for most casual moviegoers.
What’s next
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Can Scream 7 hold? Horror tends to be front-loaded, but if premium formats stay strong and word-of-mouth is even decent, it could keep a meaningful chunk of that audience into weekend two.
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March runway: This weekend should kickstart a stronger March narrative for theaters, with a real hit creating momentum and giving exhibitors confidence to program more aggressively.
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Watch the counter-programming. If studios get smart, we’ll see a sharp adult drama or crowd-pleasing comedy try to pick up the people who do not want Ghostface, witches, or talking animals.
Final Pour
February ended with a franchise film actually behaving like a franchise film. Scream 7 didn’t just win, it announced itself as the first true “must-see right now” title of 2026. The rest of the chart proved the ecosystem is still alive: animation with legs, romance with staying power, and event programming that turns theaters into a party. If March keeps this energy, 2026 might be a lot less sleepy than the first few weeks tried to be. 🍸🍿
