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In an exclusive report, someone close to the production of Universal/Blumhouse’s film adaptation of the popular video game Five Nights at Freddy’s expressed their excitement, stating, “We may have a major hit on our hands.” The movie premiered today, opening simultaneously in theaters at 2PM and on the streaming service Peacock at 6PM. Box office predictions estimate the film to earn around $50M, but there are some wild projections ranging from $55M to $90M. However, let’s not get carried away and allow this innovative and captivating branded intellectual property to play out amidst the backdrop of potential challenges caused by an ongoing actors’ strike. This information was reported by Deadline’s A. D’Alessandro.
According to sources, Thursday previews have already garnered over $7M at the box office; however, it’s worth noting that these numbers are heavily weighted towards the earlier part of the day. Universal has not yet responded to our request for comment on these projections, so take them with a grain of salt. While the movie primarily targets audiences under 25, it’s interesting to compare the previews’ performance to other films with similar numbers, such as Ant-Man ($6.4M previews, $57.2M opening), Aladdin ($7M, $91.5M opening), F9 ($7.1M, $70M opening), and Twilight ($7.5M, $69.6M opening).
But here’s the real comparison to consider: how does this stack up against other Universal/Peacock day-and-date releases? Five Nights at Freddy’s surpasses the preview numbers of Halloween Kills ($4.85M, $49.4M opening) and Halloween Ends ($5.4M, $40M opening). Despite receiving a lukewarm 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences who attended previews last night displayed unwavering enthusiasm. At a passionate fan screening in Burbank, CA, fans cheered for YouTube influencers who made cameo appearances in the film. The crowd also reacted with awe and excitement to plot twists, character introductions, and even a fan-made end credits song by music artist The Living Tombstone. If you weren’t dressed up last night, you definitely missed out! Check out some of the photos from the Burbank AMC fan screening above and below.
Now, you might be thinking, won’t many people prefer to stay at home and watch this movie on Peacock? That’s certainly a possibility, and we’ll assess the impact of Peacock on the box office later this weekend. However, what’s abundantly clear is that the under 25 demographic wants to experience this movie together, and they’re not just showing up in regular attire. Five Nights at Freddy’s is currently playing in approximately 3,500 locations, including Imax and premium large format screens. Apple Original Films and Paramount’s Killers of the Flower Moon is predicted to earn around $12M, while the AMC-distributed Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is anticipated to bring in roughly $13M. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow morning. CinemaScore conducted polling last night, and it will be interesting to see how this film is received.
