Welcome to the Weekend POURcast
Welcome to the Weekend POURcast, CocktailsAndMovies.com’s weekly look at what happened at the box office, what’s opening in theaters, what’s worth watching at home, and how the weekend might shake out once audiences actually start buying tickets.
Because sometimes the biggest movie weekend isn’t the one with ten releases; it’s the one where the right movie finds the open lane.
Last Weekend in Review
Ghostface Still Owns the Box Office
Last weekend proved that horror franchises remain one of the most reliable engines in theatrical. Even more if it has an almost 30 year pedigree…
Scream 7 opened exactly how the industry hoped it would – loud, crowded, and at the top of the charts. Early estimates put the opening weekend in the $40M range, but it opened with $67M, giving theaters their biggest launch since early January and proving the brand still has real teeth.
Behind it, the box office looked exactly like you’d expect after a franchise launch.
Animated holdover GOAT stayed durable with family audiences, while Wuthering Heights continued its slow descent after its Valentine’s surge. Meanwhile, I Can Only Imagine 2 and Crime 101 kept grinding out steady mid-chart numbers.
Translation: Ghostface showed up… and everyone else moved over.
Which brings us to this weekend.
New in Theaters This Weekend (March 6)
This week’s slate isn’t about massive wide launches. It’s about strategic counter-programming and buzz titles that could sneak into the conversation while Scream 7 continues its run.
The Bride!
One of the most intriguing projects on the spring slate.
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! reimagines the classic Frankenstein myth through a modern lens. Early buzz from festival chatter suggests it’s visually striking and deliberately weird – exactly the type of movie that critics and cinephiles rally around.
Even if it opens limited this weekend, it’s the kind of film that can build word-of-mouth quickly before expanding.
And in a quiet early-March market, that matters.
Hoppers
Pixar returns with Hoppers, a family-friendly animated adventure about scientists transferring human consciousness into robotic animals to explore the natural world.
The premise alone feels like a classic Pixar swing – funny on the surface but weirdly existential underneath.
If families show up, this could become the first real animation hit of the spring season, especially with limited competition for kids right now.
Other Notables
Scream 7 (Week 2)
The real question this weekend isn’t who opens – it’s how strong Ghostface holds.
Horror typically drops 55–60% in its second weekend. If Scream 7 holds closer to 50%, that’s a very healthy run heading into mid-March.
GOAT
Family animation has been the quiet workhorse of the early 2026 box office and could remain a steady presence in the top five.
Box Office Forecast (Thursday previews through Sunday)
1️⃣ Scream 7
$20M–$24M
A strong second weekend if horror fans keep bringing friends who missed opening weekend.
2️⃣ GOAT
$8M–$11M
Still the best family option in theaters.
3️⃣ The Bride!
$7M–$10M
Depending on theater count, buzz could push this higher.
4️⃣ Hoppers
$6M–$9M
Family turnout will determine whether this breaks out early.
5️⃣ Wuthering Heights
$4M–$6M
Romance still holding in key markets.
New on Streaming (Movies Only)
Nothing this weekend appears poised to dominate the streaming conversation, but a few new movie additions are worth noting.
Netflix
Netflix counters the theatrical slate this weekend with the action thriller War Machine, starring Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Esai Morales and Jai Courtney. The film follows a rogue military AI weapons system that escapes control, forcing a group of soldiers to hunt it down before it triggers a catastrophic global event. If you’re staying home instead of heading to the theater, this is likely the streaming title that will dominate Netflix’s Top 10 this weekend.
Final Pour
Early March weekends can be deceptive.
Sometimes they’re quiet. Sometimes they’re where sleeper hits begin.
With Scream 7 still driving ticket sales and intriguing newcomers like The Bride! and Hoppers entering the market, this weekend feels less like a blockbuster moment and more like a box office chessboard.
And those weekends can surprise you.🍸🍿
