Scary Movie shocks analysts by topping box office

Jul 10, 2000 by Ian Evans

When looking at the box office battle for last weekend, many analysts predicted that The Perfect Storm and The Patriot would hold their 1 and 2 spots while the low-budget Scary Movie might eek out a third place finish. Boy, were they wrong.

The spoof flick, from the combined talents of Shawn, Marlon and Keenen Ivory Wayans, scared up over $42.5 million dollars over the weekend. Not only did the film grab the top spot, but it is the second-biggest opening this summer after MI:2 and the biggest opening ever for an R-rated film.

While most of the top films out this summer have budgets north of $100 million, Scary Movie made it to theaters with only $19 million worth of lunch money.