As the seventh movie of the Scream franchise dominates the box office and sets a record for the franchise at $49 million, fans begin to voice their opinions.

If you know anything about the Scream franchise, you’d know that movie fans are often the true controllers of plot and motive. The Ghostface killers are usually film fans who take the movie into their own hands. Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, the original killers, were motivated by personal vengeance and the inspiration from classic films like American Psycho, Carrie, and Halloween.

So, it’s safe to say that fans are an important element in the Scream franchise. And although the box office is roaring with money for its newest installment, fans aren’t as happy with the movie.

The anticipation really sparked its success. Fans have been waiting for years for Sidney Prescott to reprise her leading role in the franchise and on the big screen. The reunion of Neve Campbell and Kevin Williamson, the original screenwriter for the first few films, sparked excitement across the media.

Other cast announcements like McKenna Grace, Isabel May, Anna Camp, and the return of Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown excited fans. The latter, which had been fan favorites in the last two films, were for their witty banter and humor.

There was also controversy concerning the write-off of the Carpenter sisters, Sam and Tara, portrayed by Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera. The beloved characters were removed from the Scream 7 script after Barrera was fired due to comments she shared about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Politics aside, people were unhappy with the end of the storyline so carefully crafted in Scream 5 and 6.

Even with these conflicts, fans were still thrilled at the announcement and trailer of Scream 7. Social media was consumed by theories, posts, and conspiracies for weeks.

The question is, was the anticipation better than the movie itself?

The movie started off feeding into these theories. The franchise has always enjoyed meta commentary, and this movie was no exception.

The first half of the movie had its audience on the edge of their seats, grappling with each easter egg the writers left for us. The biggest thing the audience wanted to know was whether Stu Macher was finally returning.

Scream fans have waited nearly thirty years to learn the truth of the debate about Stu’s true fate. The Scream press team teased his appearance in the movie, even casting the actor, Matthew Lillard.

The big rematch between Sidney and Stu had people buzzing with excitement.

Little easter eggs, like the podcast clip about Stu’s alleged appearance at Windsor College in 1997 was a clever nod to the cameo Matthew Lillard made in Scream 2. The Macher house brought joy to every fan with its franchise memorabilia from STAB posters to old relics. Every little detail seemed to point to the return of Stu Macher.

Stu’s revenge would have been satisfying, the kind of movie that you can’t look away from. Fans have been theorizing the return of Stu since his alleged death in the original movie. He was originally set to return as the villain in Scream 3, but ultimately the movie was forced to be rewritten due to current event conflicts that would have been unethical at the time.

Then came the unfortunate truth.

AI.

As if artificial intelligence hasn’t already overconsumed the entire planet, now it’s affecting the movies.

While it makes sense for Scream to adapt to the technological advances of 2026, fans are not happy with being teased into thinking Stu Macher was finally returning.

This made the inevitable reveal of the killers incredibly disappointing. The motives were empty or non-existent and held no connection to the past. The killers in the Scream franchise always have to connect to the past. Even the last two films followed that rule, everything connected to the timeline.

However, Kevin Williamson chose not to take advantage of the great story right in front of him.

That’s not to say the movie was an entire disappointment. Sidney Prescott is always iconic to watch. She has the same fire in her belly and take-no-crap attitude. Watching her role as a mother in the movie is entertaining and nostalgic to the original film for fans who have watched her grow.

Gale Weathers, played by Courteney Cox, is as fierce as ever and brings another level of comedy to the film. Isabel May, who plays Tatum Sidney’s daughter, gave a great performance and inherited her mother’s fight.

The use of AI to bring back cameos of previous cast members, like David Arquette, Scott Foley, and Laurie Metcalf, was a nostalgic play and brought a smile to many viewers, but that’s really where the appreciation ended.

The cast was cleverly picked and brought the idea to life. The writing is what fell short.

This film had the opportunity to do something mind-boggling and instead found a way to annoy their fans.

As reviews continue to flood in, it seems every fan is upset by just one thing.

Why couldn’t they just give the fans what they wanted and bring Stu back?