The sixth time could be the charm as “Scream VI” is poised to have a potentially record-breaking weekend at the box office. The American box office haul for the Paramount and Spyglass Media slasher film on Thursday during previews was $5.7 million. On Friday, it will go from 3,125 domestic cinemas to 3,675.

According to last year’s remake, “requel,” also dubbed “Scream,” the franchise is still going strong nearly 27 years after the first “Scream” movie frightened moviegoers. Prior to making a respectable $30 million in its opening weekend, the 2022 “Scream” made $3.5 million on Thursday previews in January 2022. At $34 million, “Scream 3” set the record for the franchise’s biggest opening weekend, years before several of the younger actors in the most recent film were even born.

With a projected opening this weekend of $35 million to $40 million, “Scream VI” is attempting to unseat its more recent predecessor as the highest grossing film of all time. Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Courteney Cox, who plays enduring “Scream” actress Gale Weathers, all return for the sixth chapter. They are joined by the other actors that were in the last film but were unable to return. The Ghostface killings are moved from Woodsboro, California, to New York City in “Scream VI,” with a fresh set of college-aged students doing their best to avoid being repeatedly stabbed by the mask-wearing killer.

Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin return from 2022’s “Scream” to direct the latest part, as do authors Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt. On a $25 million budget, the horror film from the previous year ended its box office run with $81 million domestically and $137 million globally. The price increase for “Scream VI” to $33 million, together with favorable reviews and savvy viral marketing, may be promising for the follow-up.

Michael B. Jordan’s “Creed III,” which dominated last week with a franchise-record $58 million debut, is still competing at the box office this weekend. The science fiction, dinosaur action film “65,” which grossed $1.225 million in previews, and Woody Harrelson’s basketball comedy “Champions” are both making their debuts this weekend.

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