This weekend, as it surpasses the box office totals of previous video game movies such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Uncharted, and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's (FNaF) is attempting to redefine the conversation surrounding movies based on video game IPs and the strategy of day-and-date releases.
Five Nights at Freddy's broke the record for the biggest opening day for a live-action video game adaptation, grossing $39.5 million on its first day of release (including $10.3 million from Thursday night previews). The Super Mario Bros. Movie, of course, outperforms these figures, but it is an animated adaptation.
FNaF is also set to become the highest opening weekend for Blumhouse, breaking the 2018 Halloween remake's previous record of $76.2 million.
It is anticipated that the movie will make $78 million during its first weekend of release in North America- with a projected $20 million production budget, the movie is already profitable. FNaF is expected to earn an additional $50 million at the global box office, bringing its worldwide tally to just under $130 million.
Another intriguing point that cinema analysts are keeping an eye on is the fact that the video game's fans don't seem to mind that Five Nights at Freddy's is currently available to be watched from the comfort of your own home on Peacock, as proven by the film's strong box office results.
Universal employed the same day-and-date strategy with Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, and both Michael Myers slasher pics enjoyed strong opening weekend numbers.
The film's PG-13 rating initially drew criticism from the Five Nights at Freddy's fanbase but it seems the decision to allow for a wider audience is paying dividends.
Blumhouse Productions produced the film, while Universal Pictures handled distribution duties.
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.