The Complete ‘Scary Movie’ Franchise in Order: Every Film Ranked and What to Know Before the New One Hits Theaters

The parody genre has had its share of ups and downs, but one franchise kept audiences coming back for more raunchy, slapstick chaos for over two decades. The ‘Scary Movie‘ series launched in the summer of 2000, offering take-no-prisoners parodies of the era’s most popular horror movies, namely ‘Scream’ and ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. It spawned one of cinema’s more surprising commercial success stories, and now the gang is back together for one more round.

One of the most lucrative comedy franchises of all time, the ‘Scary Movie’ series has grossed over $830 million globally. With a brand-new installment heading to theaters this summer, there has never been a better time to revisit the full run, understand how each entry fits into the bigger picture, and get properly hyped for what looks like the franchise’s most ambitious comeback yet.

The ‘Scary Movie’ Franchise in Chronological Order

Before diving into the details, here is every film in the series in release order:

1. ‘Scary Movie’ (2000)
2. ‘Scary Movie 2’ (2001)
3. ‘Scary Movie 3’ (2003)
4. ‘Scary Movie 4’ (2006)
5. ‘Scary Movie 5’ (2013)
6. ‘Scary Movie 6’ (2026)

How the Original ‘Scary Movie’ Films Built a Parody Empire

The series began as the brainchild of the Wayans brothers, writer-stars Marlon and Shawn, and director Keenen Ivory. That original 2000 film grossed a whopping $278 million worldwide on a budget of just $19 million, making it a phenomenon that Hollywood could not ignore.

The sequel, ‘Scary Movie 2’, incorporated parodies of classics including ‘The Haunting’, ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, ‘The Amityville Horror’, and ‘Poltergeist’. Despite pulling in $141.2 million worldwide, the second film’s significantly higher $45 million budget made it the least efficient earner in the franchise by the earnings-to-budget ratio.

‘Scary Movie 3’ brought in parody legend David Zucker, who had previously directed ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun’ franchise, and the film dialed back the raunchiness while parodying ‘Signs’, ‘The Ring’, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’, and ‘8 Mile’. It earned $220.7 million globally on a $45 to $48 million budget, proving the series had genuine staying power even without the Wayans at the helm.

‘Scary Movie 4’ parodies ‘War of the Worlds’, ‘The Grudge’, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, ‘Million Dollar Baby’, ‘The Village’, and the ‘Saw’ series, and also features a spot-on skewering of Tom Cruise’s infamous Oprah couch moment. It brought in $178.3 million at the worldwide box office on a $40 million budget.

When the Franchise Lost Its Way With ‘Scary Movie 5’

After a seven-year gap, the franchise returned with its fifth installment, which took direct aim at the ‘Paranormal Activity’ films and also parodied ‘Mama’, ‘Sinister’, ‘Evil Dead’, ‘Inception’, ‘Black Swan’, and ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. The problem was that the DNA of the original films was completely absent this time around.

‘Scary Movie 5’ was directed by Malcolm D. Lee and starred Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Erica Ash, Terry Crews, Heather Locklear, Jerry O’Connell, and Snoop Dogg. It earned just $78.4 million worldwide on a $20 million budget and landed a brutal 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the clear low point of the run.

This sequel follows the longest break in the franchise, being 13 years since ‘Scary Movie 5’, and the years of absence may actually work in the new film’s favor, given how much the horror landscape has transformed in the interim.

The ‘Scary Movie 6’ Cast Reunion That Has Fans Excited

Anna Faris and Regina Hall will return as Cindy and Brenda for the new installment, with Marlon Wayans confirming the news and sharing a throwback photo of the duo from the first film on his Instagram. The duo released a joint statement that captured the playful spirit of the whole enterprise perfectly.

“We can’t wait to bring Brenda and Cindy back to life and be reunited with our great friends Keenen, Shawn and Marlon, three men we’d literally die for, in Brenda’s case, again,” Faris and Hall said in their statement.

The full returning cast also includes Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Dave Sheridan, Heidi Gardner, Lochlyn Munro, Jon Abrahams, Sydney Park, and Kai Cenat, among others. That lineup reads like a genuine event, not just a cash-grab sequel.

What ‘Scary Movie 6’ Is Targeting and When It Arrives

Principal photography for the film began on October 1, 2025, and wrapped by November 24, with filming taking place at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. The film is directed by Michael Tiddes, best known for directing ‘A Haunted House’ and ‘A Haunted House 2’, and is being distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The trailer confirmed that the film will parody a wide range of recent horror titles including ‘Weapons’, ‘Sinners’, ‘Get Out’, ‘M3GAN’, ‘Terrifier’, ‘Final Destination’, and naturally, ‘Scream’. According to production notes from Tyler Perry Studios, the film aims to deconstruct the current state of the horror genre, moving beyond simple slapstick to target the stylistic signatures of studios like A24 and Blumhouse.

In a post on Instagram, Marlon Wayans revealed that the release date was moved up a week due to the “overwhelming response” to the film’s trailer, landing on June 5, 2026. With the franchise having earned nearly $900 million worldwide across five films, the pressure is on to prove the ‘Scary Movie’ name still means something in a world that takes its horror increasingly seriously.

Whether you are rewatching the classics to get ready or coming to the franchise fresh, the series offers a fascinating time capsule of American pop culture, and seeing what Cindy and Brenda do to ‘Sinners’ and A24’s prestige horror could be the funniest thing in theaters this summer. Which horror movie are you most hoping ‘Scary Movie 6’ tears apart, and does the Wayans family’s return feel like a redemption arc the franchise genuinely earned?