Scared to Death had a terrifying box office haul during its opening weekend.
This new horror-comedy centers on a film production assistant (Olivier Paris) who convinces the crew to hold a genuine séance during filming, which leads to chaotic and unfortunate events. The movie features horror veterans Lin Shaye (known for A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Insidious films) and Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of 1000 Corpses), alongside Rae Dawn Chong (The Color Purple, Commando).
According to Box Office Mojo, the movie Scared to Death opened at number 37 in the U.S. box office over the weekend of March 13th, bringing in $21,550 from 184 theaters. Although films released in a limited number of theaters often earn less than $1 million on their opening weekend, Scared to Death had the lowest per-screen average ever for a new release, earning only $117 per theater.
According to Box Office Mojo, the new horror film Scared to Death has earned more per theater on its opening weekend than any other horror movie before it, surpassing the previous record held by the 2025 film Jimmy and Stiggs, which averaged $125 per screen.
The film had one of the worst opening weekends in cinema history, ranking as the eighth-lowest average earnings per theater. It performed worse than seven re-releases, including Groundhog Day (2021, $100), Frozen (2020, $87), The Star (2019, $69), On the Basis of Sex (2020, $67), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2025, $43), RBG (2020, $38), and Trainwreck (2025, $16).
The new movie ‘Scared to Death’ is part of a growing trend: recent films are opening to surprisingly low numbers at the box office. In fact, nine out of the ten worst opening weekends for new movies have happened since 2020.
A recent movie’s poor performance has finally knocked The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure out of the list of the 10 lowest-performing new releases of all time. The film, which averaged just $205 per screen when it came out in 2012, had been on the list since its release. Here’s a look at the updated chart of the 10 worst per-screen averages for new movies:
| Rank | Title | Debut Per-Screen Average |
|---|---|---|
| #8 | Scared to Death (2026) | $117 |
| #9 | Jimmy and Stiggs (2025) | $125 |
| #12 | King Ivory (2025) | $131 |
| #17 | A Mouthful of Air (2021) | $160 |
| #19 | The Kid Detective (2020) | $162 |
| #20 | Yellow Rose (2020) | $167 |
| #21 | Violent Ends (2025) | $168 |
| #23 | Proud American (2008) | $180 |
| #27 | Inheritance (2025) | $199 |
| #28 | Buffalo Kids (2026) | $203 |
Even though the movie hasn’t done well in theaters, it probably won’t be considered a failure. “Scared to Death” came out quietly during Oscars weekend, when fewer people typically go to the cinema, so how well it does on streaming services and for video-on-demand rentals will be much more important than its box office numbers.
Like ScreenRant’s box office reports? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for exclusive insights, predictions, and analysis – just be sure to select “Box Office” in your newsletter preferences!
Read More
- United Airlines can now kick passengers off flights and ban them for not using headphones
- All Golden Ball Locations in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
- Best Zombie Movies (October 2025)
- How To Find The Uxantis Buried Treasure In GreedFall: The Dying World
- These are the 25 best PlayStation 5 games
- 15 Lost Disney Movies That Will Never Be Released
- Every Major Assassin’s Creed DLC, Ranked
- What are the Minecraft Far Lands & how to get there
- Adolescence’s Co-Creator Is Making A Lord Of The Flies Show. Everything We Know About The Book-To-Screen Adaptation
- Gold Rate Forecast
2026-03-17 16:30