Sony’s legacy slasher “I Know What You Did Last Summer” opened nationwide today after slicing up an estimated $2.2 million in Thursday previews from 2,700 locations, giving the studio confidence in a domestic debut projected above $30 million. Industry tracking indicates the film could finish the weekend in the mid‑thirties, a figure set to eclipse last year’s midsummer horror breakout.
The story is set 27 years after the original killings, reuniting Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. with newcomers Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders as a fresh circle of hunted friends. Principal photography ran from October 2024 to March 2025 in New South Wales and Los Angeles, fast‑tracked after the property’s 2021 streaming series stalled.
Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson says the sequel’s twist—revealing Ray Bronson as the hook‑wielding avenger—was intended to show how “unprocessed pain can curdle into violence,” adding that therapy might have prevented the carnage. A mid‑credits sting featuring Brandy signals future installments, and producer Neal H. Moritz has treatments ready should opening numbers hold.
Nostalgia spikes further with a tongue‑in‑cheek dream cameo by Sarah Michelle Gellar, whose long‑dead Helen Shivers briefly warns the new Croaker Queen. Ryan Phillippe remains absent, but the team notes his return is possible once narrative room exists. Critics are split: some praise its self‑aware camp, others fault character depth, a rift mirrored in early social‑media chatter. Horror’s summer draw looks secure; companion opener “Eddington” managed only $625,000 in the same preview frame.
