Celebrating Scream 7’s Box Office Is One Thing. Celebrating the “Boycott Failing” Is Another
Scream 7 did a franchise best at the box office despite boycott efforts against the new Paramount horror film. Some social media users are ridiculing people who took part in the boycott effort. But, that’s just got people more riled up than ever.
Critics took Scream 7 to the woodshed for its reliance on nostalgia and clunky execution. (Apparently, a ton of audience members only care about inventive kills and seeing their favorite actors on-screen.) But, what do we make of this movie succeeding at the box office despite all this kerfuffle around Melissa Barrera’s departure from the Scream franchise?
All this conversation didn’t help as Anna Camp reposted a message to her Instagram Stories from an account celebrating this boycott not being damaging to the movie. The post read, “The boycott didn’t work. The critics’ hate didn’t work. The pathetic leaks didn’t work. What worked was audiences coming out and making the film a success.”
Once that post from Camp’s Instagram started making the rounds, she had to issue a statement backtracking on the sentiments contained within. The actress deleted her post and apologized to fans on social media. Camp began, “It has come to my attention that I reposted someone else’s story that does not reflect my personal beliefs. I have since deleted the repost because I absolutely meant no harm. I’m sorry to anyone who was affected.”
Scream 7 and the current political climate
The fact that Scream 7 still managed to net $64 million in America during its opening weekend is something to wrestle with. Despite social media reactions about the Israel and Palestine global situation being omnipresent in discussion about this movie, it seems casual moviegoers were unaware or possibly unperturbed by Melissa Barrera’s ouster. The production made the quick decision to bring back as many familiar faces as possible.
Horror fans are the film industry’s latest obsession. In an uncertain landscape, the steady genre has provided an oasis for exhibitors and the studios themselves To find solace. However, despite protestations to the contrary, the genre is inherently political. A lot of these movies are articulating thoughts about social desires, fears and the state of the country more broadly.
In this way, Scream 7 reflects a lot of what’s going on in our country right now. Hollow spectacle, an over reliance on nostalgia to the detriment of promising beginnings and the pursuit of wealth above all else. Yeah, folks might turn up to see that. And, let’s be clear they totally did. But, in a time where a lot of moviegoers want an escape, they’ve created the conditions turmoil on their favorite social media apps. That was never going to be something that could be swept under the rug. You can replace actresses, cover controversy with beloved character actors, but the conversation remains.
(featured image: Paramount)
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