Outside of hardcore Five Nights at Freddy's gamers, the general moviegoing audience and film critics didn't expect much from the Blumhouse video game adaptation.
However, the studio behind Halloween Kills certainly saw something in the Emma Tammi-directed pic and their decision to trust the relative newcomer paid off in a big way.
The film only cost $20 million to produce but has gone on to amass $299.46 million at the worldwide box office, including $136.46 million domestically.
The film has gone on to become the top-grossing horror movie in North America in 2023, easily surpassing Scream IV's $108.1 million.
What's even more impressive is that the film was released day-and-date on the Peacock streaming app, a move that proved equally beneficial to NBC and cinema owners.
Now, The Hollywood Handle is reporting that Tammi has signed on to direct a sequel, which certainly seems like a no-brainer. However, there's been no official word from Universal, Blumhouse or the Hollywood trades so keep this development labeled as a rumor, for now.
Prior to the film's release, Tammi told The Hollywood Reporter, "We're all, including myself, very excited to keep making movies in this universe if we're lucky enough to do so and this first one does well...I'd love to not shut down anyone's theories. We have some loose ends that I think are going to have to come back in a sequel to be tied up."
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.