Scream rich list: ranking the 20 highest-earning stars from the hit slasher franchise

The richest stars of the slasher saga

Slicing onto screens in 1996, Scream became a horror phenomenon. Made on a relative shoestring, Wes Craven's wickedly funny, self-aware movie earned a whopping 12 times its budget and helped revive the slasher genre.

Seven films and one TV show later, the franchise has delivered iconic scares, inspired countless imitators, and spawned the spoof Scary Movie series.

Click or scroll on to discover which Scream stars have made the biggest killing financially, with wealth estimates courtesy of Celebrity Net Worth.

All dollar values in US dollars

Scream's richest supporting characters

While the main cast carries the ranking, the Scream franchise has also packed in some seriously wealthy supporting names. Director Ron Howard, who bagged a fleeting cameo in 2022's Scream, is the richest of the wider credited cast, with an estimated net worth of $200 million.

Among the non-core Scream characters, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Dempsey lead at $85 million each, followed by Kristen Bell at $80 million.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Henry Winkler, Jenny McCarthy, and Adam Brody also rank among the richer supporting stars.

Scream stars with no reliable wealth estimate

Not every Scream regular has a reliable public wealth estimate. Roger L Jackson (pictured), the unmistakable voice of Ghostface, has been part of the franchise from the beginning but does not have a Celebrity Net Worth figure.

The same goes for newer main cast members Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who play twins Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, as well as Scream VI names Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, and Sonia Ben Ammar.

20. Isabel May: $400,000

New to the fold, Isabel May joined the franchise in this year's Scream 7 as Tatum Evans, the daughter of Sidney Prescott, putting her at the center of Ghostface's latest killing spree.

Before entering Woodsboro's orbit, the up-and-coming actress broke through as Katie Cooper in Netflix's Alexa & Katie, appeared in Young Sheldon, and led the Yellowstone prequel 1883 as Elsa Dutton.

19. Heather Matarazzo: $450,000

Heather Matarazzo joined the Scream franchise in 2000's Scream 3 as Martha Meeks, Randy Meeks' younger sister, returning 22 years later for Scream as the mother of twins Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin.

Away from the Ghostface universe, Matarazzo is most closely linked with her breakthrough role as Dawn Wiener in Welcome to the Dollhouse, plus turns in The Princess Diaries and Hostel: Part II.

18. Mikey Madison: $1 million

The fifth Scream movie saved one of its wildest twists for Amber Freeman, the fanatical killer played by Mikey Madison opposite Jack Quaid's Richie Kirsch.

Before entering the franchise, she'd gathered momentum in the FX show Better Things and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Madison's career then surged with 2024's Anora, which wowed critics and won her the Best Actress Oscar.

Joint 16. Matthew Lillard: $2 million

Stu Macher remains one of the franchise's most memorable original killers, with Matthew Lillard bringing manic comic energy to Billy Loomis's Ghostface accomplice. The character's shadow has stretched beyond the 1996 movie too, with later cameo appearances.

Outside of Woodsboro, Lillard has forged a busy screen career with Hackers, SLC Punk!, and the live-action Scooby-Doo movies. The actor also voices Shaggy in animated spin-offs.

Joint 16. Melissa Barrera: $2 million

Sam Carpenter became the franchise's final girl in 2022's Scream, with Melissa Barrera returning for Scream VI as Billy Loomis's daughter and Tara's fiercely protective half-sister.

Before Ghostface came calling, Barrera had already built a career in Mexican telenovelas, the Starz series Vida, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's big-screen musical In the Heights.

15. Jack Quaid: $4 million

Richie Kirsch looked like Sam Carpenter's supportive boyfriend in 2022's Scream, only to emerge as one of the movie's Ghostface killers. The role was taken on by Jack Quaid, who also appears via video footage in Scream VI.

Far from overshadowed by his A-list parents Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, the LA-born actor has notched up an impressive screen resumé of his own through The Boys, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Oppenheimer, and The Hunger Games.

Joint 12. Jenna Ortega: $5 million

Tara Carpenter twisted Scream tradition by surviving the opening Ghostface attack in the 2022 movie, before returning as one of the Core Four in Scream VI. The role added to Jenna Ortega's growing scream queen status, with other horror credits including X, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and Studio 666.

Ortega's biggest breakout though came on Netflix's Wednesday, which has garnered her Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations.

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Joint 12. Parker Posey: $5 million

Scream 3 handed Parker Posey one of the franchise's best meta roles: Jennifer Jolie, the actress cast to portray Courteney Cox's Gale Weathers in the fictional Stab movies.

Posey ruled the 1990s and noughties as the 'Queen of the Indies' through films including Dazed and Confused, Party Girl, and Best in Show, and has recently won fresh acclaim in The White Lotus, yet again proving her character acting chops.

Joint 12. Skeet Ulrich: $5 million

With Billy Loomis, Skeet Ulrich played an instrumental part in creating the franchise's original Ghostface template: charming boyfriend, horror obsessive, and knife-wielding mastermind. The 1996 role remains his signature screen moment, and he later returned as a hallucination haunting Sam Carpenter in Scream and Scream VI.

Ulrich's wider credits include teen horror favorite The Craft, Oscar-winning comedy drama As Good as It Gets, and The CW's Riverdale.

Joint 10. Hayden Panettiere: $6 million

Kirby Reed became a Scream fan favorite after the fourth movie, with years of survival theories eventually paying off when Hayden Panettiere returned in Scream VI.

The role added another cult credit to a career that began in childhood and later included Claire Bennet in Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville. Panettiere has also been back in the spotlight with a candid memoir.

Joint 10. Marley Shelton: $6 million

Scream 4 welcomed Marley Shelton as Deputy Judy Hicks, one of Woodsboro's more eccentric law enforcers, complete with lemon squares, a crush on Dewey, and a bulletproof vest that saved her life.

Shelton reprised the role in 2022's Scream, where Judy had become sheriff. Shelton's wider career includes The Sandlot, Pleasantville, and Grindhouse, plus a recurring role in Yellowstone prequel 1923.

9. Scott Foley: $7 million

Scott Foley entered the Scream universe as Roman Bridger, the Scream 3 director who turned out to be Sidney Prescott's secret half-brother and the movie's solo Ghostface killer.

Foley's acting CV is brimming with TV roles, from Noel Crane in Felicity to Jake Ballard in Scandal and Bob Brown in The Unit. He's also written and directed, including the black comedy Let's Kill Ward's Wife.

8. Keke Palmer: $7.5 million

Keke Palmer brings the TV branch of the franchise into the ranking, having starred as bold survivor Kym in 2019's Scream: Resurrection, the show's third season.

By then, she'd already grown from child star to multi-hyphenate, breaking through with Akeelah and the Bee before leading Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP.

Palmer's career has since stretched across music, hosting, and major screen roles, including Hustlers and Jordan Peele's Nope.

Joint 6. Jamie Kennedy: $8 million

Randy Meeks became one of Scream's defining characters, with Jamie Kennedy playing the video-store geek whose horror knowledge sharpened the franchise's knowing edge.

After surviving the first Woodsboro massacre, Randy returned in Scream 2, only to become one of the sequel's most memorable legacy casualties. Kennedy also appeared by video in Scream 3, keeping Randy's genre lessons alive from beyond the grave.

Outside the franchise, he's fronted The Jamie Kennedy Experiment and starred in Malibu's Most Wanted.

Joint 6. Tyga: $8 million

Tyga brings another Scream TV connection to the list, having portrayed Jamal Elliot in Scream: Resurrection. The rapper's character was tied closely to the season's Atlanta murders, giving the show one of its music-world castings alongside Keke Palmer.

Tyga is better known for his hip-hop career, with hits including Rack City and Faded, as well as his former relationship with Kylie Jenner.

5. Neve Campbell: $10 million

The franchise's original final girl, Neve Campbell became a defining 1990s scream queen as Sidney Prescott, the survivor at the center of Ghostface's attacks. She led the first four Scream movies and returned for the 2022 revival, but sat out Scream VI amid a salary dispute before coming back for Scream 7.

Away from Woodsboro, Campbell made her name with Party of Five, The Craft, and Wild Things, later adding TV roles in House of Cards and The Lincoln Lawyer.

4. Laurie Metcalf: $14 million

Laurie Metcalf joined Scream 2 as Debbie Salt, a nosy reporter circling Gale Weathers as the Windsor College murders unfold, setting the scene for one of the franchise's most shocking twists.

The sequel is only one stop in a much bigger career, with Metcalf earning Emmy gongs for Roseanne and The Conners, Tony-winning stage success and an Oscar nomination for Lady Bird. She has also voiced Andy's mum in the Toy Story films.

3. David Arquette: $30 million

David Arquette has been part of Scream from the very beginning, playing well-meaning Woodsboro deputy turned sheriff Dewey Riley.

Alongside his ex-wife Courteney Cox, Arquette is one of only two original live-action regulars credited across all seven movies, while Roger L Jackson has also been ever-present as the voice of Ghostface.

Away from the franchise, the star's credits include Never Been Kissed, Eight Legged Freaks, and Ready to Rumble, while his offbeat career has also taken in producing, directing and professional wrestling.

2. Liev Schreiber: $40 million

Wrongly accused Cotton Weary gave the early Scream films a prickly wild card, turning up first as a shadow over Sidney Prescott's past and later as a fame-hungry survivor trying to cash in on his notoriety.

The role gave Liev Schreiber early blockbuster exposure before a much broader career across film, TV, and theater. His major credits include Ray Donovan, Spotlight, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and The Manchurian Candidate, while his stage work has earned Tony acclaim.

1. Courteney Cox: $150 million

When it comes to wealth, no Scream cast member even comes close to Courteney Cox, who has appeared in every movie as ambitious reporter-turned-survivor Gale Weathers. The franchise made her a horror fixture, but Friends is the real reason she towers over the rest of this ranking.

Cox starred in all 236 episodes as Monica Geller, earning around $88 million in salary alone, before long-running royalties added many millions more. Her post-Friends résumé includes Cougar Town, Dirt, and Shining Vale.

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