Do the Wayans Own Scary Movie?

There has been a lot of confusion and speculation surrounding the ownership of the Scary Movie franchise. Specifically, many people have asked whether the Wayans family, who created and starred in the first two installments of the series, still own the rights to those films. In this article, we will explore this question in depth.

History of Scary Movie

Scary Movie was first released in 2000 and was a parody of popular horror movies such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The film was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and starred his siblings Marlon, Shawn, and Kim. It was a huge success at the box office, grossing over $278 million worldwide.

The Wayans family followed up with Scary Movie 2 in 2001, which was also a hit with audiences. However, they did not return for any subsequent sequels.

The Sale of Scary Movie

In 2005, it was announced that Dimension Films had acquired the rights to the Scary Movie franchise from Miramax Films. This deal included all four existing films at the time (Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4), as well as any future installments.

It is important to note that while Dimension Films purchased the rights to the franchise from Miramax Films, they did not purchase them directly from the Wayans family. This means that while they may have had some input into future films (such as serving as executive producers), they did not have creative control over them.

The Wayans Family’s Involvement

Despite no longer owning the rights to Scary Movie, members of the Wayans family have continued to work on parody films in a similar vein. In 2013, Marlon Wayans wrote and starred in A Haunted House, which was a spoof of found footage horror movies such as Paranormal Activity.

The film was a moderate success at the box office and spawned a sequel, A Haunted House 2. While the Wayans family did not technically own the Scary Movie franchise, they were able to create their own successful parody films in a similar style.

Conclusion

In summary, the Wayans family does not currently own the rights to the Scary Movie franchise. While they created and starred in the first two installments of the series, they sold the rights to Dimension Films in 2005. However, members of the family have continued to work on parody films in a similar vein and have found success with movies such as A Haunted House.