After setting records in its first weekend of release Universal and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s has suffered a massive drop off in box office earnings.
The picture saw a -76% dip in the box office, collecting just $19.4 million over the weekend after making $79 million the previous weekend.
On the other hand, the horror film, only cost $20 million to make, putting it in the black after just one weekend. The picture has already grossed over $200 million worldwide. Some observers anticipate the film will end its theatrical run as the highest-grossing horror film of 2023, a title presently held by The Nun II.
Another reason likely contributing to the large reduction is the choice to release Five Nights at Freddy's day-and-date on Peacock.
Historically, films that outperform expectations at the box office benefit from strong word-of-mouth in the weeks that follow. That referral traffic, however, is now most likely sending the inquisitive to Peacock rather than into movie theater seats.
The film stars 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.