Based on Scott Cawthon’s video game franchise of the same name, the supernatural horror film Five Nights at Freddy’s is making waves at the box office following its release earlier this week. Directed by Emma Tammi and starring Josh Hutcherson, the movie follows a troubled security guard Mike Schmidt who starts working at an abandoned Pizzeria and soon discovers that his late-night shifts would not be easy to go through.
Despite earning mixed reviews from critics, the horror flick is breaking box office records and has taken the title for the biggest box office opening for a video game movie.
Read More: Five Nights at Freddy’s Reviews are In, and it’s Not Good News
Five Nights at Freddy’s Kicks Off with a Strong Box Office Opening
The supernatural horror film Five Nights at Freddy’s has emerged as an unexpected contender for this Halloween season. Despite reviews calling the movie “not fun enough. not scary enough,” it has been taking the box office by storm and has outperformed Chris Pratt’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie in opening day domestic earnings.
The horror flick is reportedly made on a budget of $20 million and has already grossed $39.4 million on its opening day, including $10.3 million in preview screenings. Despite being accessible on streaming NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, the Josh Hutcherson starrer has recorded remarkable success at the box office.
The studio released the movie simultaneously in theatres and on its streaming service Peacock on October 27, 2023. However, 42% of the audience has expressed the desire to see the movie again in theatres, rather than watching it at home, as per Deadline.
It has also surpassed Scream VI to become the biggest horror opening of 2023 so far. The horror flick is now looking forward to a smashing $78 million weekend opening. With its financial success, the director is already discussing a potential sequel and has said that it will likely be influenced by the film’s performance at the box office.
Read More: 5 Horror Games You Haven’t Played Since the Late 2010’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s Director Discusses Potential Sequels
Five Nights at Freddy’s game series has grown into multiple sequels, spin-off games, mini-games, and novels. And director Emma Tammi has hinted that there might be plans for potential sequels based on the “massive” lore of the original game franchise. During an interview with Screenrant, she said,
“The lore is massive. There was no way we were ever going to fit everything into one film, nor was it the intention. So the answer is yes, there’s so much to potentially bring into any sequels should we be lucky enough to make them.”
During an interview with Variety, she also suggested that the movie’s performance at the box office would likely play a significant role in any plans for a sequel. “We’ll see how things go this weekend,” she said before adding that they are “excited” to continue making more FNaF movies.
“This one was tied into the first game, and we would probably focus on tying the second one into the second game, and so on and so forth,” she told Variety, stating that they would have to wait and see how things develop before making any future plans.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is playing in theatres and is available on Peacock.
Read More: Absolutely Terrifying Games That Players Swear Give You Permanent Lifelong Trauma
