Long Range Forecast — March 20, 2026
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come | Searchlight Pictures / Disney
Domestic Opening Weekend Range: $5M – $10M
Searchlight Pictures kicks off its 2026 theatrical slate with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, sequel to 2019 horror counterprogrammer Ready or Not. Released in late August of that year to an opening weekend haul of $8M, the film ended its domestic run with $28M—both figures that this new film, featuring returning star Samara Weaving alongside a cast of new franchise additions, will look to match or exceed.
Both Ready or Not films are directed by the duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who also helmed 2022’s horror reboot Scream ($30M domestic opening) and its 2023 sequel Scream VI ($44.4M). (Scream 7, out later this month, is directed by Kevin Williamson, who either wrote or co-wrote the first four Scream films.) Though Ready or Not 2 is highly unlikely to reach Scream VI numbers, box office-wise, it could follow the earlier film by opening higher than its immediate franchise predecessor; the first Ready or Not, like 2022’s Scream, caught positive audience and critical interest during an otherwise relatively slow period at the box office (August for Ready or Not, January for Scream). On the other hand, March 2026 is awash in wide-release horror titles to serve as competition (Scream 7, The Bride!, Undertone, They Will Kill You), while August 2019 had only Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.
A debut on the higher end of our opening range would put Ready or Not 2 alongisde Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s April 2024 horror title Abigail, which opened to $10.2M en route to a $25.8M domestic total.
Other recent horror films to come out in the back half of March are 2017’s The Belko Experiment ($4.1M domestic opening) and Life ($12.5M), 2019’s Us ($71.1M), 2022’s X ($4.2M), 2024’s Immaculate ($5.3M), and 2025’s The Woman in the Yard ($9.3M).
Tracking Updates [As Of 2/20/26]
| Release Date | Title | Predicted Opening Range | Distributor |
| 2/20 | I Can Only Imagine 2 | $10M – $15M | Lionsgate |
| 2/20 | How to Make a Killing | $8M – $12M | A24 |
| 2/27 | Scream 7 | $35M – $45M | Paramount |
| 3/6 | The Bride! | $15M – $25M | Warner Bros. |
| 3/6 | Hoppers | $50M – $60M | Disney/Pixar |
| 3/13 | Undertone | $3M – $5M | A24 |
| 3/13 | Reminders of Him | $10M – $15 | Universal |
| 3/20 | Project Hail Mary | $60M – $70M | Amazon/MGM |
| 3/20 | Ready or Not 2: Here I Come | $5M – $10M | Searchlight Pictures/Disney |
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