An anticipated 2026horrorsequel may be facing competition due to its recently announced release date. After theaters reopened following global shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020s have seen a number of major horror hits grace theaters. This includes original movies such as Jordan Peele’sNope(which grossed $171.1 million against a reported budget of $68 million) and Parker Finn’sSmile($217.4 million against $17 million) and new installments in major franchises includingA Quiet Place: Day One($261.8 million against $67 million),Scream VI($169.1 million against $35 million), andThe Nun II($269.5 million against $38.5 million).
Although there are also some promising original movies on the schedule,2026 is set to be a particularly robust year for horror franchises. At the time of writing, the upcoming slate for 2026 includes theM3GANspinoffSoulm8te, the post-apocalyptic trilogy midpoint28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Lee Cronin’s monster rebootThe Mummy, the slasher sequelScream 7, the standalone sequelEvil Dead Burn, a newScary Movieinstallment, the untitled sixthInsidiousmovie, and Zach Cregger’s reimagining ofResident Evil. However, there are two movies whose proximity to one another on the schedule may pose a particular problem.
Ready Or Not 2 Has Secured A Spring 2026 Release Date
Stars Samara Weaving And Kathryn Newton Featured In A First Look Image Sharing The News
One more major horror sequel now due in 2026 is theupcomingReady or Not 2: Here I Come.Searchlight Picturesjust announced that filming has concluded on the project, which is a follow-up to 2019’sReady or Not, and thatthe sequel is set to premiere on July 08, 2025. Below, see their announcement, which features an image of returning star Samara Weaving handcuffed to incoming co-star Kathryn Newton, hinting at the mayhem that is to come:
So far, most details have been kept under wraps aboutReady or Not 2: Here I Come, which was helmed by returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, working from a script by returning screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. However, it has been confirmed thatWeaving will be reprising the role of Grace, who was most recently seen surviving her wealthy new in-laws' deadly game of hide-and-seek, resulting in them all exploding in an outrageously bloody fashion for failing to carry out the traditions of their ancestors' supernatural benefactor.
Whilethe identities of the new characters that surround Grace remain unknown, the new ensemble cast also includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Shawn Hatosy, Olivia Cheng, and Néstor Carbonell.
Ready Or Not 2 Will Release On The Heels Of Scream 7
The Two Movies Have A Lot In Common
One potential issue forReady or Not 2is the fact thatit is set to come out less than two months after the similarly anticipated sequelScream 7. The newScreammovie, which was directed by original franchise screenwriter Kevin Williamson and features the return of legacy stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Matthew Lillard, and Scott Foley, is set to premiere on June 27, 2025.
TheScream 7cast also includes newcomers to the franchise such as Isabel May, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace, Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Michelle Randolph, and Jimmy Tatro.
The two movies have many commonalities. In addition to the fact that they will be bloody horror sequels with high body counts, Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective behind theReady or Notmovies, created the previous twoScreaminstallments. While Radio Silence is not directly involved inScream 7, the two movies still have many crew members in common, including producer James Vanderbilt and screenwriter Guy Busick. Additionally,Ready or Not 2’s Samara Weaving and Sarah Michelle Gellar both played roles in theScreamfranchise, appearing in the sixth and second installments respectively.
Will 2026 Be Scream Vs Ready Or Not?
Or Will They Both Help Each Other?
It remains to be seen if the close proximity ofScream 7andReady or Not 2sees either eating into the other’s profits. However,there is precedent for major slashers to perform well when scheduled closely together. For instance, in 1988,Friday the 13th Part VIIdebuted on May 13, followed byA Nightmare on Elm Street 4on August 19 andHalloween 4on October 21.All three releases turned a profit, with the two earlier titles grossing more than five times their reported budgets.
Major horror titles can still co-exist in the modern era…
Additionally, in spite of the crowdedhorrorschedule in 2025, both April’sSinnersand May’sFinal Destination Bloodlineshave had record-breaking grosses, proving that major horror titles can still co-exist in the modern era.This could mean thatScream 7andReady or Not 2will both have solid runs, potentially even propping one another up given their behind-the-scenes connections.
