Paramount and Spyglass Media fired Melissa Barrera from “Scream 7” in November 2023. This came after the actress shared free Palestine messages on her social media. Now, years later, the movie was released in February 2026 to poor reviews but became the franchise’s best-performing film at the box office.
In a recent interview, the “Titanique” stage actress is opening up about her experience and questioning whether the horror film was as successful as the studio claims.
Variety interviewed Barrera in May 2026 to discuss not only her life and career post “Scream,” but also how she feels about the latest movie and the cast and crew who remained silent when she was seemingly being blacklisted.
During the discussion, the interviewer mentioned how “Titanique” included an unintentional nod to the horror franchise. When asked if she felt this was a small way for her to reclaim her work in the “Scream” universe, she said, “Yeah, a little bit.”
The actress went on, “The reality is that ‘Scream’ is always going to be a big part of me because it was two years of my life, it gave me a lot, and I’m grateful specifically to Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett], who gave me that shot. That hasn’t been sour for me. They don’t have that power.”
After that, the reporter noted, “The seventh one sucked.” Barrera responded, “I know. And I think they lied about the numbers. I don’t think it made that much money.”
Melissa Also Feels ‘Scream’ Cast Crossed The Picket Line
Elsewhere in the interview, the topic of the “Scream 7” cast came up. Specifically, it was mentioned that some actors who had appeared in previous films had returned following her firing. Though not mentioned, the most notable name is Neve Campbell.
When asked if she felt those actors had “crossed the picket line,” Barrera responded, “Oh, one hundred percent. I think they all are. And they have to live with that. The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible.”
Following Barrera’s discussion about “Scream 7,” especially saying she thinks the studio faked its box office success, fans are reacting. Of course, many are on her side, claiming that her social media posts were intended to support a cause, not to spread hate.
One person wrote, “And she’s absolutely correct. Anyone involved in making the movie and especially anyone who went to watch and support it are morally bankrupt and a sad excuse for a human being, IDC!
WE STAND WITH MELISSA BARRERA TODAY AND ALWAYS!”
Someone else said, “I remember reading about studios inflating box office numbers back in the 90s. Wonder if that’s still happening today with all the streaming services involved.” A different social media user then said, “Money or no money, the movie was garbage. They can’t lie about that.”
However, several social media users, especially on X, had differing opinions. One detractor noted, “I continue to be disappointed and disgusted by Melissa’s blatantly unprofessional and outrageous statements — and now conspiracy theories!!!”
A different person wrote, “Can’t lie about box office now, there are tons of publicly traded companies involved with digital accounting. The last big movie to lie about the box office was…SCREAM. The original. LOL. (Studios in the mid-90s would fudge numbers to cross $100M domestic).”
Lastly, someone else said, “Acting as if scream 5 wasn’t the definition of nostalgia bait.”
‘Scream 7’ Was Both the Best & Worst Of The Franchise
In the months leading up to the release of “Scream 7,” it was uncertain if the movie would match the success of previous films in the franchise. This is especially the case as many in the fandom vowed to boycott the movie due to Barrera’s exclusion.
However, according to Deadline, the Campbell-led film opened with $65 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the 30-year franchise. Per BoxOfficeMojo, it has since surpassed $207 million, a high feat for a horror movie.
Melissa’s Career Seems To Be On The Upswing
Much changed for Barrera amid her firing from “Scream 7.” One of the blows she endured was being dropped by her talent agency, WME. However, things have begun to turn around for the actress. In 2025, she starred in Peacock’s “The Copenhagen Test.” Sadly, in April 2026, the series was canceled.
Additionally, Playbill announced in February 2026 that she would star in Broadway’s “Titanique” as Rose DeWitt Bukater. The show officially opened in March and has been a success so far. It’s scheduled to run at the St. James Theatre until September.
Per IMDb, she has two projects in post-production, “The Collaboration” and “Black Tides.”
