Los Angeles, California - Scream 7 slayed the competition at the North American box office, setting a franchise record with $64.1 million in its opening weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Neve Campbell is back as original heroine Sidney Prescott in the Paramount film, the latest installment in the 30-year-old slasher series featuring yet another Ghostface killer.

Franchise veterans Courteney Cox and David Arquette are also back in the new film. Its worldwide box office topped $97 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

It was the best-ever opening for a Scream film, according to data from Box Office Mojo.

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"This is sensational business," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

"This audience knows these characters and story, and that's what they want to see."

Production on the horror sequel had been marred by early controversy, as leading star Melissa Barrera was dropped from the film for sharing posts condemning Israel's assault on Gaza in 2023.

Barrera's firing, soon followed by the departure of co-star Jenna Ortega, led to a creative restructuring that reportedly cost $500,000, per Variety.

The killer opening for Scream 7 knocked Sony's family-friendly animated film GOAT down to second place with $12 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada.

Wuthering Heights – starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the doomed lovers Cathy and Heathcliff from Emily Brontë's classic novel – dropped to third place at $7 million.