'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Unlikely to Match Success of Original, Experts Say

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is unlikely to match the staggering financial success of the 2023 original, experts say. Universal and Blumhouse’s horror sequel, adapted from the hugely popular series of video games and books, hits cinemas on Dec. 5. And it has big shoes to fill after the first installment was a massive, surprising pandemic-era hit.

Box Office Tracking for Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is projected to gross between $35 million and $40 million from 3,300 North American locations in its opening weekend. Those numbers aren’t too bad, especially considering the movie’s reported $36 million budget, but it’s only about half of what the original made during its opening weekend in 2023 when it opened the Friday before Halloween.

Original Opened to an Astonishing $80 Million

The first Five Nights at Freddy’s shocked just about everyone when it opened to a stunning $80 million on the way to nearly $300 million worldwide. Though the video games and books have an avid fanbase, no one predicted it would open to such fanfare. The cume was especially surprising because Five Nights at Freddy’s received a day-and-date release on Peacock, Universal’s streaming service, meaning fans weren't required to go to the theater to see it at all. Universal and Blumhouse previously had success launching Halloween Ends (2021) and Halloween Kills (2022) on Peacock the same day they premiered in cinemas. Despite being available at home, those titles still opened to about $50 million at the North American box office.

But unlike its predecessor, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is receiving an exclusive theatrical release. Blumhouse founder Jason Blum revealed to Variety back in October that he no longer supports the day-and-date release pattern. “I was very wrong. It was not good for the business,” he admitted. “I learned the hard way, and I would prefer that the windows were at least consistent, because it’s very difficult for the consumer.”

Blumhouse Needs a Big Hit

Blumhouse needs of a hit, having suffered a string of financial misses this year including The Wolf Man andM3GAN 2.0. October’s Black Phone 2was a rare bright spot, taking $131 million worldwide. Considering its budget, Friday Night at Freddy’s 2 should have no problem breaking even, but it remains to be seen how much of a profit it will make for the studio.

Freddy's Will Lose Top Spot to Zootopia 2

Friday Night at Freddy’s 2 returns director Emma Tammi and stars Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail. Hutcherson plays Mike, a security guard at the eponymous Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria who gets caught up in murder and mayhem when the restaurant’s animatronic mascots come to life. The PG-13 sequel is likely to lose the top spot to Disney’s Zootopia 2, which is on track to earn between $44 million and $50 million this weekend.

At the specialty box office, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is on track to earn between $5 million and $10 million from about 1,000 venues. The director cut his two kung-fu epics into one 275-minute feature with an intermission and an exclusive Fortnite short film depicting a “lost chapter,” entitled The Revenge of Yuki, that Tarantino scrapped in the early writing stages.

Friday Night at Freddy's 2 is in cinemas from Dec. 5.