Established IP once again proves to come in handy in making money. On its opening weekend, Five Nights at Freddy’s conquered the box office, shattering multiple records. Domestically, it earned $78 million domestically and $52.8 million internationally, making it a big win for video game adaptations and PG-13 horror movies. That total of $130 million is five times its $25 million budget.
The Records and Achievements of Five Nights at Freddy’s Opening Weekend Box Office Earnings
Before the weekend began, Five Nights at Freddy’s achieved great heights for its Thursday previews by grossing $10.3 million. It was one of the biggest of the year but by far the biggest for a horror film released since the pandemic. It topped hits like Nope ($6.7M), Scream 6 ($5.7M), and Halloween Ends ($5.4M).
The actual opening of Friday-Sunday was bigger than anything to release post-2020 for the genre. Overall, for horror, the It movies are the only ones to beat out the animatronics, and Pennywise sits on a pile of bodies and cash.
What makes the opening box office for Five Nights at Freddy’s impressive is that it was released on Peacock on the same day as it did in theaters, proving that the theatrical experience of horror is a huge draw.
For video game adaptations, the PG-13 horror film did quite well for itself despite having tough competition. While it could not beat out Super Mario Bros. globally, domestically, it dominated the top opening for a video game movie as Mario had grossed $31.7 million. It put Gran Turismo in the rearview mirror, as the racing movie grossed $17.4 million domestically.
One of the biggest winners over the opening weekend box office of Five Nights at Freddy’s is its director, Emma Tammi. The film is the biggest opening for a horror film directed by a woman. This beats out Nia DaCosta’s Candyman ($27.6M).
Blumhouse has been a dominant studio that went from the indie scene to the mainstream. Of the records broken by Five Nights at Freddy’s, its debut box office makes it the top opening for the studio. This launched over the previous record holder, Halloween 2018 ($109 million).
Negative reviews are not going to hold back the Blumhouse video game adaptation from making money. Holding 26% for critics and 88% for audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, this is a film for the fans. In our review, we gave it 6/10 as the fanfare and effects made it a passable experience.
