During the studio's CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, Universal President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Jim Orr formally revealed that a sequel to Five Nights at Freddy's was officially in the works.
It has also been announced that the sequel will be released in 2025.
Following the film's $297.2 million worldwide theater earnings from a meager production budget of only $20 million, the sequel confirmation follows months of rumors and fan discussion concerning a potential sequel.
This is even more remarkable when considering the fact that the film was launched on the Peacock streaming app on the same day it hit theaters.
Five Nights at Freddy's went on to become the highest-grossing horror picture in North America in 2023, easily outperforming Scream IV's $108.1 million.
At this year's Golden Globes ceremony, Josh Hutcherson teaed the status of the sequel, stating, "I know they’re in the process right now of nailing down the story, and they want to get going as soon as possible. Obviously, the fans are amazing and die hard. For me to be a part of it was was so cool and phenomenal."
"We hoped it would connect with audiences,” he went on to add. “But I don’t think that anybody, even on our side of things, expected it to really connect the way that it did. I’m dying to get back on set. Emma Tammi, our director, was fantastic, and it was such a fun world to play in. I’m excited to see what they are doing next.”
The film features Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Across the River and into the Trees) as Jeremy Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Lail (Once Upon A Time, You, Ordinary Joe) as Vanessa Monroe, Piper Rubio (Disney's Crater) as Abby Schmidt, Matthew Lillard (Scream, She's All That, Scooby-Doo) as Steve Raglan, and Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Blindspot) as Aunt Jane.
Emma Tammi directed the pic from a script she co-wrote alongside Five Nights at Freddy's video game creator Scott Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback.
Five Nights at Freddy's follows the story of a security guard who works overnight at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant where the animatronic animals come to life at night and try to kill him.
The film is a darker and more suspenseful take on the game series. It will explore the backstory of the animatronic characters and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of several children.
Five Nights at Freddy's Official Synopsis: The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.