'Five Nights at Freddy’s' Set to Smash Halloween Box Office Records in its Domestic Debut
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ sets a new Halloween record, smashing the domestic box office with a spine-chilling debut This video game adaptation also claims the title of the biggest horror opening in 2023, leaving its competition in the dust
The Big Picture
Despite receiving negative reviews, Universal's Five Nights at Freddy's is making waves at the box office with a simultaneous release on the Peacock streaming service. The movie raked in an impressive $39 million on Friday and is expected to reach a staggering $78 million in its opening weekend.
Despite mixed reviews, the film has garnered strong support from fans, boasting an A- CinemaScore and an impressive 89% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it's official score on the website stands at a disappointing 25%. This triumph is a vital resurgence for Universal's horror studio, which had previously experienced a disappointing performance with their last release, The Exorcist: Believer, earning less than $60 million domestically in three weeks.
Universal's slasher film Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the popular video game franchise, has silenced its critics with record-breaking numbers at the Halloween weekend box office. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the movie has raked in an impressive $39 million on Friday alone, including $10 million from Thursday previews. Projections indicate that it is on track to have an opening weekend of $78 million, setting new records for Halloween debuts and horror film openings. While its official score on Rotten Tomatoes stands at a disappointing 25%, the film has garnered an exceptional A- CinemaScore from audiences on its opening day, a rarity for horror films. This success follows Universal's previous triumph with Halloween Kills, which earned almost $50 million in its opening weekend earlier this year. Five Nights at Freddy’s serves as a much-needed win for the studio, which struggled with the lackluster performance of its previous release, The Exorcist: Believer, barely crossing the $60 million mark domestically after three weeks.
The Rest of the Box Office's Halloween Weekend Top Five Was Dominated by Holdovers
Image via Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concert film continues to perform well at the box office, securing the second spot for the second weekend in a row. The film follows an unconventional release schedule, only playing on weekends from Thursday to Sunday. After this weekend, it will move on to its second leg of global release starting on November 3. The film earned $4.8 million on its third Friday, bringing its total domestic gross to $139 million. By Sunday, it is expected to cross the $150 million mark domestically, considering its reported budget of approximately $15 million.
In its second weekend, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is projected to earn around $10 million. Despite featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and being directed by Scorsese, the three-and-a-half-hour epic has struggled to attract a wider audience. After its opening weekend, where it made $23 million, the film is likely to surpass $43 million by Sunday.
The fourth and fifth spots at the box office are taken by the Angel Studios documentary After Death and The Exorcist: Believer, respectively. After Death is expected to have a $6 million opening following a $2.3 million Friday, while Believer will add approximately $3.5 million to its weekend earnings after grossing just under $1 million on Friday. By Sunday, Believer's total domestic earnings should reach around $60 million, although this falls below the anticipated performance of Five Nights at Freddy's in the same timeframe. For more updates, stay tuned to our website.
Five Nights at Freddy's is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
Watch on Peacock
Five Nights at Freddy's
Survive five nights in this hair-raising horror game! Prepare for an unforgettable cinematic experience as the masterminds behind M3GAN, The Black Phone, and The Invisible Man, Blumhouse, bring the terrifying world of Five Nights at Freddy's to the silver screen. Follow the journey of a troubled security guard as he embarks on his new job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Brace yourself for a relentless night shift filled with nerve-wracking challenges, as escaping unscathed won't be a walk in the park.
Release Date October 27, 2023Director Emma TammiCast Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, Elizabeth Lail, Mary Stuart MastersonRating PG-13Runtime 110 minutesGenres Horror
