“Five Nights at Freddy’s” dominated the domestic box office with an impressive $80 million in its opening weekend, surpassing earlier estimates of $78 million.
The film, released by Universal and Blumhouse, made its debut on Peacock simultaneously. With the final figures on Monday, “Five Nights” is now tied with Disney’s “Black Widow” as the biggest opening weekend for a day-and-date streaming release, earning $80 million in theaters and $60 million on Disney+.
While Disney shared digital sales data for “Black Widow,” which included an additional rental fee, NBCUniversal didn’t disclose specific streaming metrics for “Five Nights.” However, the company stated that the movie has been the most-watched and has attracted the largest number of subscribers on Peacock since its release on October 26. “Five Nights” is available to monthly subscribers at no extra charge.
Even with Sunday’s estimates, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has already become the top-grossing hybrid release for Universal and Peacock, surpassing the earnings of slasher sequels “Halloween Kills” ($49 million) and “Halloween Ends” ($40 million). Notably, these were follow-up films in an established franchise.
Based on the popular video game, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” follows Josh Hutcherson as a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a family entertainment center. However, he soon discovers that these animatronic mascots are prone to murder. Despite negative reviews (25% on Rotten Tomatoes), the film has resonated with audiences, receiving an “A-” CinemaScore. With a production budget of $20 million, the movie is already a massive commercial success.
“The IP is incredibly popular, and Blumhouse, along with our director Emma Tammi, did a phenomenal job translating it to the big screen,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “The genre lends itself to the shared experience that people want.”
Some box office analysts argue that hybrid releases miss out on potential revenue. David A. Gross, from movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, mentions that the premium horror film experience involves sitting in a dark room with strangers, experiencing jumps, gasps, and laughter together. The at-home viewers of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” won’t get that same experience, resulting in lost ticket sales.
However, this didn’t deter fans from buying tickets for “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” The film earned an impressive $52 million at the international box office, bringing its global total to $132 million. It broke numerous early box office records, including the highest-grossing opening weekend for Blumhouse, surpassing “Halloween” in 2018 ($76.22 million). It also ranks as the second-largest debut for a video game adaptation, behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146.3 million).
