NEW YORK - The summer box office keeps expanding, powered by films outside the usual big studio lineup.

Following weeks of independent horror success, the parody slasher Scary Movie led sales with 55 million dollars in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday, easily ahead of the underwhelming Masters of the Universe.

A shift has taken hold in theaters as younger viewers have embraced horror standouts Obsession and Backrooms, both crafted by creators who began on YouTube. These releases have even surpassed expectations set by The Walt Disney Co. Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Comedy took the spotlight this weekend. Despite limited theatrical support for the genre lately, the latest Scary Movie delivered a franchise record 105.5 million dollars in global openings. The Wayans family comedy surpassed the worldwide debut of Scream 7, which earned 97 million dollars earlier this year.

Both series are handled by Paramount Pictures, with Miramax behind the new Scary Movie. Written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenan and Craig Wayans, the film brings the brothers back after they left following the second installment due to creative disagreements.

David A. Gross of FranchiseRe called the result a strong opening for a comedy sequel this deep in its run. He noted a major recovery from the prior entry that faltered in 2013 without key cast members, adding that the weekend total triples the typical genre average.

Critics gave mixed marks with a 26 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences awarded a B CinemaScore. Still, the 30 million dollar production outperformed its higher budgeted rivals.

Masters of the Universe, an action fantasy drawn from the 1980s cartoon and Mattel toys, could not revive the property. The Amazon MGM release, the second live action film after the 1987 original, earned 29.3 million dollars in North America.

The picture added 25 million dollars internationally. Yet with production costs near 200 million dollars, a far stronger debut was required for financial success.

This marks Mattel Studios first release since Barbie in 2023. Following that films 1.45 billion dollar haul, Masters of the Universe appears headed toward disappointment for the toy maker.

A24 Backrooms fell 68 percent in its second weekend to 25.9 million dollars. The 10 million dollar adaptation of Kane Parsons long running YouTube series still stands as a major success and now ranks as A24 highest grossing title worldwide at 212 million dollars, passing Marty Supreme.

Focus Features Obsession earned 25.6 million dollars in its fourth weekend, a modest 7 percent decline. The low budget horror film from 26 year old Curry Barker continues to set records with no prior horror title matching its fourth weekend performance without inflation adjustment.

Obsession, produced for under 1 million dollars, has reached 152.1 million dollars domestically and 224.8 million dollars globally, a new benchmark for Focus.

The Mandalorian and Grogu dropped to sixth place with 10 million dollars in its third weekend. It trailed Fathom Entertainment The Amazing Digital Circus The Last Act, which collected 12.7 million dollars.

Additional releases reached notable marks.

Lionsgate Michael Jackson biopic Michael became the studio highest grossing film ever at 898 million dollars worldwide, surpassing prior leaders from the Twilight and Hunger Games series without inflation considered.

2026 already has its first billion dollar release as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie crossed that threshold for Universal.

Overall weekend revenue rose 63 percent from the same period last year per Comscore, with yearly totals up more than 13 percent. Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day arrives next weekend.

With final domestic numbers due Monday, the rankings reflect estimated sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters according to Comscore.

1. Scary Movie, 55 million dollars.

2. Masters of the Universe, 29.3 million dollars.

3. Backrooms, 25.9 million dollars.

4. Obsession, 25.6 million dollars.

5. The Amazing Digital Circus The Last Act, 12.7 million dollars.

6. Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu, 10 million dollars.

7. Michael, 7.7 million dollars.

8. The Breadwinner, 3.4 million dollars.

9. Pressure, 3 million dollars.

10. The Devil Wears Prada 2, 2.8 million dollars.