I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s Rotten Tomatoes score is here, with critics sharing their thoughts on the reboot. The latest installment in the popular horror franchise hails from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, with a new group of friends now facing the wrath of the Fisherman after an accident the previous year.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer cast features a number of franchise newcomers, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, and Billy Campbell. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return for the new film as Julie James and Ray Bronson, respectively, after appearing in the original 1997 movie.

With reviews now releasing online, the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a lackluster score of 46% from 37 reviews. Though this score is likely to fluctuate as more reviews are added, this currently makes it the highest-scoring entry of the franchise, as seen in the chart below.

A Popcornmeter score for the reboot hasn’t appeared yet, but one should take shape this weekend as audiences get a chance to watch the movie. If it manages to exceed 41%, the new film will also have the highest Popcornmeter score of the franchise.

What This Means For I Know What You Did Last Summer

Will The Film Succeed?

As seen in the chart above, none of the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies have fared particularly well with critics. By and large, the original film is considered the best of the bunch, but even that one earned mixed reviews. The reboot’s middling score suggests the film’s quality is in line with the debut installment.

Generally speaking, critics seem united in believing the new entry fails to drastically update the franchise formula or offer anything particularly new or exciting. In her I Know What You Did Last Summer review for ScreenRant, Mary Kᴀssel awards the film a poor four out of 10. She writes:

Nostalgia is everywhere, pouring out of every scene, like all the reboots that have come before it. While it’s exciting for long-time fans of the franchise to see Hewitt, Prinze Jr., and the many pictures of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen that pop up throughout the story, their characters and the history of Southport are all that give the narrative any sense of weight, and it feels like an echo.

The return of Hewitt and Prinze Jr. are clearly major selling points for the film. The response thus far, however, suggests these characters are not used as effectively as, say, Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley in 2022’s Scream, a film that also adopts the legacy sequel approach, though seemingly to much better effect.

How the lackluster Rotten Tomatoes score affects the movie’s box office remains to be seen. Many horror movies, after all, find success with audiences despite bad reviews. Just look at Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023), which was a major financial hit with only a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise isn’t one with a strong theatrical track record, though, and it’s not clear whether new audiences who didn’t see the original will care. The original 1997 movie was a hit, but the 1998 sequel saw more modest success, while the 2006 entry went direct-to-video.

Our Take On I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Franchise Misses Out On A Needed Fresh Start

For a time, it seemed like the Scream franchise was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Then, the 2022 legacy sequel changed that, mixing the old with the new while paving the way for an exciting future. This early response suggests 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer won’t be doing that for this franchise, which is a shame.

That being said, it’s entirely possible audiences will disagree with critics. With the success of Outer Banks under her belt, Cline could prove a compelling new protagonist for viewers in I Know What You Did Last Summer, setting up the franchise up for an additional installment.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes