Matthew Lillard recalls doubting Scream's success

During a panel at New York Comic Con celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Scream franchise, actor Matthew Lillard revealed that he initially believed the 1996 film would be a failure. Lillard, who played Stu Macher, recalled being covered in blood while driving home from work in the early morning, thinking to himself, “This movie’s lame. Nobody’s ever gonna see it. I’m going to go become a television star.”

Lillard noted that while his co-stars Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell were returning to established television projects, he viewed the horror production as a minor stepping stone. Fellow actor Skeet Ulrich, who played Billy Loomis, echoed these sentiments, stating that the cast had no idea the film would achieve such long-term cultural impact.

Contrary to the actors' early predictions, Scream became a major commercial success, grossing over $173 million worldwide on a $15 million budget and spawning multiple sequels.