In 1996,Screamentered its opening weekend at the box office with a dismal gross of $6.3 million, suggesting it was a dead-on-arrival film. However, due to solid reviews and word of mouth, the film became a hit, going on to gross $103 million at the domestic box office on a $15 million budget. It was a major success for Dimension Films that made other studios take notice, especially of its young screenwriter, Kevin Williamson.
BeforeScream, Williamson tried to sell his script forI Know What You Did Last Summer, but no studio would bite. That all changed withScream, which made Columbia Pictures go all in onIKWYDLS, even though there was no indication they’d strike gold with their teen slasher effort. As we all know now,the film became a major hit, and its success, in many ways, is just as important asScream’sbecause it proved that the return of teenage horror was no fluke.
Directed by Jim Gillespie from a screenplay by Williamson,I Know What You Did Last Summeris loosely based on the 1973novel of the same name by Lois Duncanand focuses on four teenagers who find themselves stalked by a killer a year after covering up a car accident where they believed they had killed a man. The film stars a foursome of late ’90s stars on the verge of enormous success, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr. Supporting roles were filled out by Johnny Galecki, Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche, and Muse Watson.
Why ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Deserves Credit for Reviving ’90s Horror
Screamreceives the bulk of the acclaim for reigniting the horror genre, but make no mistake,I Know What You Did Last Summermade sure it was burning bright.Because the latter film is more of a straightforward slasher movie in the same vein as some of the ’80s efforts that inspired it, such asProm Nightfrom 1980, and not a whip-smart, self-referential, borderline satire likeScream,I Know What You Did Last Summeris seen by some as an inferior product.
Critics certainly felt that way when the film was released and were surprised that it came from the same screenwriter ofScream,as the movie, in their eyes, felt more like the slasher efforts thatScreammade fun of. Horror fans noticed something more with the film, however, as it was a solid blend of the old guard from the ’80s with the fresh appeal of the later ’90s that would keep the genre afloat for the next few years.
I Know What You Did Last Summerdidn’t need to be likeScream. In its own ’90s way,Screamfunctioned a bit like 1978’sHalloween, a critically acclaimed and financial game-changer, whileI Know What You Did Last Summerplayed more likeFriday the 13th, a film that lacked the polish of its predecessor but whose success was just as important to the genre. Not every film needs to be a groundbreaking, clever endeavor. Sometimes movies just need to entertain, and that’s whatFriday the 13thdid afterHalloweenand whatI Know What You Did Last Summerdid afterScream.
The Entire I Know What You Did Last Summer Franchise Ranked
Even if they are the same franchise, not every movie is equal. find out which IKWYDLS is best!
The movie was also the perfect storm of casting, much likeScreamin many respects. The film plucked someone from the hit seriesParty of Five, much likeScreamdid with Neve Campbell, and surrounded them with emerging talent. Hewitt, who quickly became a fan favorite as Sarah Reeves Merrin onParty of Five, was initially intended to appear on the show for only a nine-episode arc during its second season. However, her natural likability with fans and producers led to her being cast as a series regular. Hewitt had been in some films, but was not a massive star by any means. However, by the time she filmedSummer,she was the biggest name in the young cast, and the rest of the group was built around her.
When promoting the film, Columbia Pictures launched a summer marketing campaign aimed at appealing to the target audience, particularly the same age group that madeScreama hit in 1996. SinceWilliamson wrote the script, the studio heavily used “From the creator ofScream” in their marketing campaign. However, Miramax Films, whose Dimension Films releasedScream, filed a lawsuit against Columbia Pictures because they believed Columbia’s marketing implied an association withScream’s director, Wes Craven, who had no involvement withI Know What You Did Last Summer. They ultimately had to change their declaration to “From the writer ofScream,” but this was all a matter of words. Sure, that connection sparked interest, butthe real draw was the fact that another new slasher film for a new generation was on the way, and that also played a significant role in its success.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Was a Major Hit the Moment It Opened
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Released on July 17, 2025,I Know What You Did Last Summerdebuted at the top spot, a featScreamhad not achieved during its run, with a gross of $15.8 million. The debut shocked the industry at the time, and what proved to be even more shocking was that the film remained in the top spot for the next two weeks. WhileScreamwas a word-of-mouth hit,I Know What You Did Last Summerwas successful from the start, partly because some of the cast had already gained major popularity before the film’s release. Hewitt was still serving up drama onParty of Five, andGellar was kicking offthe second season ofBuffy the Vampire Slayeron the teen-centric WB Network, with TV spots running for the film in anticipation of its release. The perfect release date right before Halloween probably didn’t hurt either.
Freddie Prinze Jr. Recalls I Know What You Did Last Summer Director’s “Psychotic Notes”
Freddie Prinze Jr. said I Know What You Did Last Summer director Jim Gillespie gave him “psychotic notes” like “don’t leave your mouth open.”
I Know What You Did Last Summerultimately grossed $72.5 million domestically and $125.3 million worldwide against a $17 million budget.Its success proved to studios thatScreamwasn’t a lightning-in-a-bottle success story. The box office success ofI Know What You Did Last Summerproved that horror films starring good-looking teenagers were back in vogue, likely leading to films likeDisturbing Behavior,Urban Legend,Halloween: H20,The Faculty, and others being greenlit. It also served as a solid bridge forScream 2, which opened just two months later in December and claimed the top spot with an even bigger opening thanScreamandSummerwith $32.9 million.
Asthe legacy sequel opens, likely to significant success, remember that it wasn’t justScreamthat sparked the slasher movie craze in the late 1990s. There is no denying thatI Know What You Did Last Summerwould not have been the same withoutScream,but without the success of the former,Scream’s fortunes could have been a one-off. However,LastSummerproved that horror was back and here to stay.I Know What You Did Last Summeris streaming onMGM+.The legacy sequel is now in theaters.
