LOS ANGELES, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's slasher film "Scream 7" took the top spot at the North American box office with a franchise-best 64.1 million U.S. dollars in its opening weekend, according to data released Sunday by measurement firm Comscore.
The seventh installment in the Scream film series earned 33.1 million dollars overseas for a global franchise record of 97.2 million dollars this weekend.
Directed by Kevin Williamson, the sequel film follows a new Ghostface killer who emerges in a quiet town.
Despite its strong commercial launch, "Scream 7" holds an approval rating of 34 percent based on 143 reviews to date on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. It earned a tepid "B-" on an "A+" to "F" scale from audiences polled by market research firm CinemaScore.
In the second spot, Sony Pictures' animated sports comedy "GOAT" took in 12 million dollars in its third weekend. The film has grossed 73.98 million dollars in North America for a global cume of 130.5 million dollars.
Rounding out the top three, Warner Bros.' period romantic drama "Wuthering Heights" generated 6.95 million dollars in its third weekend for a North American total of 72.3 million dollars.
