‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Video Game Adaptation Achieves $130 Million in Worldwide Debut

Despite simultaneous availability in cinemas and on streaming platforms, the video game adaptation “Five Nights at Freddy’s” drew large audiences to theaters nationwide. The film garnered $78 million, thereby dominating the North American box office, as revealed by studio estimates on Sunday.

Universal Pictures strategically opted for a day-and-date release the weekend prior to Halloween. The film was distributed to 3,675 theaters across the United States and Canada and was also accessible to subscribers of Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. Internationally, the movie debuted in 64 markets and is anticipated to generate $52.6 million, culminating in a global opening revenue of $130.6 million—the highest for any horror film this year.

Jim Orr, President of Domestic Distribution at Universal, lauded the exceptional debut and attributed the success to a well-executed marketing strategy by Blumhouse and the Universal marketing team. “Our marketing department is among the key strengths at Universal,” he stated.

Produced by Blumhouse, known for its work on “Paranormal Activity,” “Get Out,” and recent successes like “M3GAN” and “The Black Phone,” the film was directed by Emma Tammi and stars Josh Hutcherson, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard. Based on the popular video game series created by Scott Cawthon, the narrative revolves around a security guard defending against lethal animatronic characters at a dilapidated family pizza restaurant, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

Although the game had a fervent fan following, the film adaptation encountered numerous delays. Jason Blum, the film’s producer, recounted earlier interviews where he was mocked for taking on the project. The film, which had a reported production budget of $20 million, proved skeptics wrong, marking the highest-grossing opening in Blumhouse’s history, surpassing even “Halloween” in both domestic and global debuts. Orr acknowledged this as an “impressive achievement.”

Demographically, the film’s opening weekend audience was predominantly male (58%) and considerably young, with approximately 80% under the age of 25 and 38% between 13 and 17 years old. Orr highlighted the significance of attracting this demographic to theaters, which is particularly noteworthy as this age group is generally not inclined towards cinema-going.

Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, also stressed the impact of this youthful demographic on the industry, suggesting that other studios and video game producers will undoubtedly take note.

While critics have given the film a disappointing 25% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audience members granted it an A- CinemaScore, indicating potential for sustained interest in the coming weeks.

In other box office news, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is poised to surpass $200 million in global revenue, having added $14.7 million domestically and $6.7 million internationally this weekend. Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” came in third, adding $9 million to its domestic total of $40.7 million. Its global earnings now stand at more than $88 million. “After Death,” a Christian documentary, opened in fourth place with $5.1 million, and “The Exorcist: Believer” rounded off the top five with $3.1 million.

Several other high-profile films debuted in limited releases, such as Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” both of which will expand in the weeks to come.

Paul Dergarabedian concluded, “It was a diverse and exhilarating weekend for cinephiles. If one couldn’t find a film to one’s taste, one simply wasn’t searching adequately.”

According to Comscore, the estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday for theaters in the U.S. and Canada are as follows:

1. “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” $78 million.
2. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” $14.7 million.
3. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” $9 million.
4. “After Death,” $5.1 million.
5. “The Exorcist: Believer,” $3.1 million.
6. “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” $2.2 million.
7. “Freelance,” $2.1 million.
8. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (re-release), $2 million.
9. “Saw X,” $1.7 million.
10. “The Creator,” $1 million.

Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Five Nights at Freddy’s Box Office Debut

More about Five Nights at Freddy’s Box Office Debut

• Box Office Mojo: Weekend Earnings
• Universal Pictures: Press Release on “Five Nights at Freddy’s”
• Peacock Streaming Service: Movie Listing
• Rotten Tomatoes: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” Reviews
• CinemaScore: Audience Ratings for “Five Nights at Freddy’s”
• IGN: Interview with Producer Jason Blum
• Comscore: Analysis on Box Office Trends
• Blumhouse Productions: Company Filmography
• AP Entertainment: Mark Kennedy’s Review on “Five Nights at Freddy’s”