Overview
- Roughly 30 pro‑Palestine demonstrators gathered near the Los Angeles premiere, with CODEPINK promoting a boycott campaign and Melissa Barrera posting “I see you” on Instagram.
- Director Kevin Williamson acknowledged seeing the protesters and said he fully supports the right to demonstrate in the United States.
- Spyglass removed Barrera in November 2023 after saying her comments crossed into hate speech, while Barrera publicly rejected antisemitism and Islamophobia.
- Jenna Ortega exited the film after Barrera’s dismissal, and original creator Kevin Williamson replaced Christopher Landon as director, bringing back Neve Campbell and other legacy figures.
- Early reception has been largely negative, with a 38 on Metacritic and 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Hollywood Reporter calling the franchise “creatively dead.”