‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Global Box Office Debut Destroys Expectations

The Big Picture

• Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s exceeded expectations, grossing over $100 million globally in its first three days, indicating the potential for a new horror movie franchise.
• Despite poor reviews and a day-and-date debut on Peacock, the film still managed to gross $78 million domestically and over $50 million from international markets.
• Five Nights at Freddy’s is Blumhouse’s biggest opening to date, surpassing their previous record set by the 2018 Halloween reboot, and it also has the top global debut for a horror movie this year and the second-biggest debut for a video game adaptation.

Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s didn’t just exceed expectations in its domestic box office debut, the horror video game adaptation also delivered the goods globally. Directed by Emma Tammi and produced by horror specialists Blumhouse, the movie handily passed the $100 million mark globally in its first three days of release, indicating that audiences might have just witnessed the birth of a new scary movie franchise. Five Nights at Freddy’s was produced on a reported budget of just $20 million, proving yet again that horror is the most lucrative genre of them all if done right.

The movie grossed an estimated $78 million in its domestic debut, and added over $50 million from 60 overseas markets, for a cumulative worldwide opening of more than $130 million. And it did this despite a day-and-date debut on the Peacock streaming service in the U.S., and noticeably poor reviews. Collider’s Chase Hutchinson called it a “horrifyingly robotic video game adaptation,” which seems to be the consensus as well; Five Nights at Freddy’s currently sits at a “rotten” 25% score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. But fan reception has been way more positive, with opening day audiences awarding it a very solid A- CinemaScore.

We Might Have a New Horror Franchise on Our Hands

Five Nights at Freddy’s marks a much-needed comeback for Blumhouse — the production house behind the popular modern horror franchises such as Insidious and The Purge — who last released the high-profile misfire The Exorcist: Believer. In addition to attracting toxic reviews, the would-be trilogy starter will likely end its domestic run with less money than what Five Nights at Freddy’s has made in its first three days. In fact, this is Blumhouse’s biggest-ever opening, ahead of the 2018 Halloween reboot, which grossed $76 million domestically and concluded its global run with around $250 million. Five Nights at Freddy’s also delivered the top global debut for a horror movie this year, ahead of The Nun II, and the second biggest ever for a video game adaptation, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Based on the wildly popular video game series of the same name, the film was specifically geared toward younger audiences who were clearly very excited to watch in large groups on the big screen, as opposed to checking it out at home. The film stars Josh Hutcherson as a night guard who accepts a job at an abandoned entertainment facility, where he is hounded by four animatronic mascots. Matthew Lillard, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson round out the rest of the cast. You can watch the film both in theaters and at home in the U.S., and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Watch Five Nights at Freddy’s on Peacock

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