“Five Nights at Freddy’s” took the Halloween box office by storm, raking in $80 million during the opening weekend.
The video game adaptation was originally forecasted to earn $50 million, making this Emma Tammi-directed movie the unsuspecting horror movie to beat, according to Variety. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard and Elizabeth Lail and is available to stream on Peacock, or to view on the big screen in theaters.
It’s so fun when it works. Thank you all so much for being patient with us on #fnaf we wanted to get it just right for the fans. That’s all we were focused on. We appreciate you. Thank you for the amazing week end.
— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) October 29, 2023
The film didn’t just do well according to opening weekend statistics. It took the number two spot behind The Super Mario Bros., as the second-biggest earning video game adaptation, according to Variety.
The movie is based on the indie video game by the same name that amassed a viral fan base online in recent years. It stars Hutcherson as a security guard who gets a job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza but he soon realizes the potentially deadly dangers of the night shift. Hutcherson’s co-stars include Lail, Lillard, Piper Rubio, Kat Conner Sterling, and Mary Stuart Masterson.
The film shattered Halloween opening box office records, taking title as the top grossing flick by a long lead. The previous top spot went to “Puss in Boots,” which came in at $34 million in 2011, People reported.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” also beat out “Scream VI” to take the number one position for top earnings for a horror movie on opening weekend, People noted. “Scream VI” launched at $44 million in March. (RELATED: Heidi Klum Poses Nude To Tease Her Busy Halloween Week)
The movie’s success can partially be attributed to its PG-13 rating, which widened the viewing audience and helped generate additional ticket sales to the younger crowd despite the gory content, according to People.
Producer Jason Blum boasted the impressive statistics of his new movie on Twitter, and thanked fans for their support.