Five Nights at Freddy’s is looking to terrorize the box office this weekend as it moves past video game box office milestones set by Sonic the Hedgehog, Uncharted, and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.
The film has set the box office record for the largest opening day for a live-action video game adaptation, grossing $39.5 million in its first day of release (including $10.3 million from Thursday night previews). Yes, The Super Mario Bros. Movie eclipses these numbers but that's an animated adaptation.
The film is projected to have a $78 million opening weekend at the North American box office. With an estimated production budget of just $20 million, the film is already in the green. Projections also have the film slated to gross another $50 million at the international box office.
Another interesting point that film analysts are keenly watching is the fact that the video game's fanbase doesn't care that Five Nights at Freddy's is currently available to watch from the comfort of your own home on Peacock, as evidenced by the strong box office numbers.
Universal employed the same day-and-date strategy with Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, and both Michael Myers slasher pics enjoyed strong opening weekend numbers.
The film's PG-13 rating initially drew criticism from the Five Nights at Freddy's fanbase but it seems the decision to allow for a wider audience is paying dividends.
Blumhouse Productions produced the film, while Universal Pictures handled distribution duties.
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.