After setting records in its first weekend of release Universal and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s has suffered a massive drop off in box office earnings.
The film suffered a -76% drop, grossing $19.4 million domestically after earning $79 million the previous weekend.
However, the horror pic only cost $20 million to create, putting it in the black after just one weekend. Worldwide, the film now stands at $200 million and counting. Some analysts believe that the movie could finish its theatrical run as the highest-grossing horror movie of 2023, a distinction currently held by The Nun II.
Another factor contributing to the massive drop is the decision to release Five Nights at Freddy’s day-and-date on Peacock.
Traditionally, films that explode at the box office and exceed projections typically benefit from strong word-of-mouth in the following weeks. However, that referral traffic is now likely directing the curious to Peacock instead of into movie theater seats.
The film stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Across the River and into the Trees) as Jeremy Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Lail (Once Upon A Time, You, Ordinary Joe) as Vanessa Monroe, Piper Rubio (Disney's Crater) as Abby Schmidt, Matthew Lillard (Scream, She's All That, Scooby-Doo) as Steve Raglan, and Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Blindspot) as Aunt Jane.
Emma Tammi directed the pic from a script she co-wrote alongside Five Nights at Freddy's video game creator Scott Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback.
Five Nights at Freddy's follows the story of a security guard who works overnight at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant where the animatronic animals come to life at night and try to kill him.
The film is a darker and more suspenseful take on the game series. It will explore the backstory of the animatronic characters and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of several children.
Five Nights at Freddy's Official Synopsis: The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.