Five Nights At Freddy's Shatters Horror Box Office Records with 2023 Opening

Summary

Five Nights at Freddy's breaks 2023 horror movie records with an enormous opening day gross of $39.4 million, projected to reach $78 million or more by the end of the weekend.

Josh Hutcherson takes on the role of Mike, a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, tasked with safeguarding his younger sister from the dangerous animatronics that awaken in the dark. The film's debut surpasses the opening weekends for all other horror films released in 2023, except for Scream VI.

Content

In its first weekend, Five Nights at Freddy's is breaking records for a horror movie released in 2023. This film, based on a popular video game franchise, features Josh Hutcherson as the main character, Mike, who finds himself working as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. However, he soon discovers that the animatronics at the restaurant come to life at night and pose a danger to his younger sister, Abby, played by Piper Rubio. Alongside Hutcherson, the movie also stars Elizabeth Lail, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard.

According to Deadline, the box office earnings for Five Nights at Freddy's in its opening weekend are astounding. On Friday, the movie collected a total of $39.4 million, including the previews from Thursday night. Based on the current projections, it is anticipated that the film will earn $78 million or more within its first three days. This means it will have the highest opening weekend earnings for any horror movie released in 2023 thus far. As of Friday, it has already surpassed the opening weekends of all other horror movies released in 2023, with the exception of Scream VI, which earned a total of $44.4 million over its first three days.

How High Could Five Nights at Freddy's Climb?

The opening weekend of the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is impressive, indicating that it has the potential to become the top horror movie of the year. If it continues to outpace Scream VI, it has the chance to reach a gross of $300 million by the end of its theatrical run. However, there are several obstacles ahead that may hinder its success at the box office.

The main obstacle for Freddy's is its second weekend. Typically, horror movies experience a drop of around 60% or more during their second weekends. However, the fact that Halloween will be over may further decrease audience interest in horror movies, possibly resulting in an even more significant decline for Freddy's. Moreover, the movie's theatrical prospects have been diminished since it is already available for streaming on Peacock. Additionally, the Five Nights at Freddy's cast is not actively promoting the film due to the ongoing 2023 actors strike, which could have a stronger impact in the upcoming week.

Although the eventual status of Five Nights at Freddy's as the overall number one film is uncertain, it is highly likely to maintain its current opening weekend record. With two months still remaining in 2023, there are no wide-release horror films expected to rival its impressive total of $78 million. While the performance of Eli Roth's Thanksgiving remains to be seen, it is unlikely to surpass the success of established franchises like Scream VI. The only other competition for the rest of the year would be the Christmas slasher film It's a Wonderful Knife, which is an original movie lacking the dedicated fanbase of Freddy's.

Source: Deadline