Early today, the Department of Justice released more than three million pages of files connected to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And as people have started digging into all the new emails and documents, we are learning a lot more about Epstein and his elite inner circle. Oh, and apparently, he would sometimes send people links to porn featuring characters from Five Nights at Freddy’s.
On May 4, 2017, Epstein sent a message to Karyna Shuliak, his last known girlfriend, that simply contained a link to an animated gif uploaded to 4chan that featured multiple characters from FNAF engaging in sexual activities. The animation was apparently made in Source Filmmaker and was shared on 4chan in April 2017. Epstein simply commented “amazing animations” in the subject line of the email.
This 2017 email, as well as others from the Epstein files purporting to show him sending FNAF porn he found online to Shuliak, spread across social media as part of a collage image. Many assumed it was a joke. But Kotaku and others online have been able to verify that the 2017 email did include a link to this NSFW 4chan gif post.
Discovering that Epstein looked at and shared porn based on the horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s is far from the worst piece of information to come out of the Epstein emails. But it is a strange piece of information I didn’t know before, and now I do. I can’t stop thinking about him writing “amazing animations” in the subject line as he emailed the link to his girlfriend. We live in a weird, horrible timeline, huh?
In other Epstein video game news (because yes, there is more), he was banned from Xbox Live in 2013 after Microsoft figured out he was a registered sex offender.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is less than a month away, so we’re getting ready for another trip to our favorite cursed children’s pizza joint by re-watching the first film from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures.
The first Five Nights at Freddy’s from director Emma Tammi put a fun spin on the lore from the games created by Scott Cawthon and weaved it into one hell of a horror gateway flick for genre newbies or folks interested in a cinematic take on the franchise. Hey, we took one look at the animatronics from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and our Chuck E. Cheese band puppet nostalgia was activated. The genre mashup was exciting, plus the cute plushes and new favorite icons like Chica and Cupcake stole our hearts (especially at this year’s Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights).
Here’s a recap of everything you need to remember about Five Nights at Freddy’s before its sequel releases on December 5.
1. The new spin on Five Nights at Freddy’s game lore
Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is haunted by the kidnapping of his younger brother, Garrett, back in the ’80s. In the movie’s present day, it’s the 2000s, and he’s now the adult caretaker of their youngest sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), after the loss of their mother and their dad’s absence.
2. Mike took the worst job ever
After attacking a dad at the mall—mistakenly thinking the man was abducting his own child—Mike loses his job and is on thin ice as Abby’s guardian. Their meddling aunt tries to swoop in to get custody in order to get the guardianship money from the state. Mike’s last-ditch effort to get a job, any job, lands him at the desk of Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard), who offers him a gig no one else can seem to hold down.
That job turns out to be the night guard at a run-down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a formerly popular children’s entertainment center and pizzeria known for its beloved animatronic mascot performers. Raglan plays the role of the caller from the games who instructs him on what to do to keep the owner happy, which is to keep people out and the place clean. Mike keeps watch through the security broadcast on the television screen, evoking that isolating Five Nights vibe.
4. The past is all connected
Overnight, Mike continues to battle his inner demons, which come in the form of recurring nightmares about the day Garrett was taken. However, his dreams take a turn as he sees new children appear to him in the dream who weren’t previously there. When he wakes, he gets the sense that the animatronics he’s supposed to be watching might be watching him.
5. Deaths in this world are metal as hell, literally
The first victims of the animatronic gang are led by Abby’s babysitter, bribed by Mike’s aunt in an effort to sabotage his new job. The babysitter and her pals stage a break-in and end up becoming broken toys themselves for Freddy and friends. The babysitter gets such a brutal death, being chomped cleanly in half by Freddy. It’s what she deserves, though, for trespassing and all.
6. There are ghosts!
Mike is forced to take Abby with him to spend the night at Freddy’s since her sitter is a no-show. There, she, like us, becomes obsessed with the puppet animals, who look so cuddly and friendly. They likewise become obsessed with Abby and quickly reveal to her and Mike that they’re alive. As it turns out, the animatronics are controlled by the ghosts of missing children: Gabriel (Freddy), Cassidy (Golden Freddy), Jeremy (Bonnie), Fritz (Foxy), and Susie (Chica). Earlier, Mike learned that Freddy Fazbear’s folded when five kids went missing at that location back in the ’80s—thanks to Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), the police officer who checks up on the place during the day.
Vanessa shows up and tells Mike that she knows the possessed puppets, and they have cute, fun playtimes together. Abby discovers their adorable drawings but notices there is a constant in all of them: a mysterious Yellow Rabbit they all mention to her as a scary presence. Vanessa encourages Mike to keep Abby away from the animatronics because they can be a lot. The adorable friendship between Abby, Freddy, Foxy, Chica, and Bonnie goes south relatively quickly as the animatronics decide they want her to be their friend forever. As in forever, through joining them in an animatronic suit of her own.
8. Abby was almost traded for information about Garrett
Since they all disappeared around the same time, it is implied that Garrett might have been abducted by the same person who murdered the ghost kids. Mike briefly considers trading Abby for information about Garrett but quickly changes his mind because that’s crazy. To the ghost kids, who react as kids do, it’s not cool at all, and they attempt to kill Mike in one of the decommissioned springlock suits. Thankfully, Vanessa shows up to save him.
9. The truth about Vanessa
Meanwhile, Cassidy/Golden Freddy and the gang take matters into their own robotic hands and follow Abby to her aunt’s place to give the toxic relative a well-earned death and take their bestie back to Freddy Fazbear’s. Once they’re all back, Vanessa confesses that she’s the daughter of Freddy Fazbear’s owner, William Afton, who kidnapped and murdered kids she helped lure for him. It’s something she too carries over as trauma, as she knew their bodies were hidden in the animatronics.
As Mike deactivates the animatronics before they can claim Abby, the Yellow Rabbit shows up to wreak havoc on the situation. It turns out that this Springtrap is not operated by a ghost but by William Afton, who posed as Steve Raglan, and he’s very mad that too many people now know his big secret. It’s a secret Vanessa has been in on since she’s still her daddy’s little girl and, for obvious implications, has helped keep his dirty secrets locked down despite trying to stay on the right side of the law as an adult.
She was pretty much covering up for both of them since she saw herself as an accomplice, but she turns on him as he tries to kill Mike. That results in his stabbing her, and we have to mention Lillard wipes his character’s knife in the way he did as Ghostface (love a Scream Easter egg). Abby quickly draws the truth of who killed her ghost friends and shows them, and they set their sights on Afton, realizing he’s the Yellow Bunny, and tear him apart. Afton promises he will come back; he always does, as he dies in the suit.
In the first wave of products you can find at movie theaters, there’s a wide selection of Freddy Fazbear and friends as buckets, straws, and dancing animatronics. The Blumhouse horror sequel, directed once again by Emma Tammi and starring Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise), is set for an early December release, and while the Five Nights at Freddy’s video game world still has plenty of characters left to bring to the screen, Freddy Fazbear is still the reigning icon in the movies. That includes this first wave of toys cosplaying as snack receptacles.
The teddy form of Freddy is just too darn cute, and it’s hugging the popcorn bucket disguised as a stack of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza boxes. (Verdict: The cutest and most coveted.)
This sippy cup is perfect and would look adorable to use if you’re fandom-bounding in a Chica-inspired look. We’re expecting this one to sell out, so it might be necessary to lurk at the popcorn stand to catch its drop at AMC. (Verdict: Cute as a cupcake!)
5. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Character Toppers – AMC Theaters
As you’d expect, there will be standard buckets and cups that feature returning and new characters. AMC Theaters mixes it up with various concession toppers, which include Balloon Boy in his innocent-looking form. (Verdict: Cute.)
What a throwback! Reminiscent of the Talkboy Recorder from the ’90s, the Fazbear Talker is a nostalgic prop that is set to make its debut in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. It’s how the ghosts reconnect with Abby (Piper Rubio), which makes its adorable facade more sinister than you might think. We can’t wait to see it in action and in our hands as a popcorn bucket, thanks to the Fandango exclusive. (Verdict: Cute… but creepy.)
3. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 character straws – Regal Cinema
The Regal Cinemas version of FNAF‘s icons’ straw tops looks so demented. We love it. And the detail on the Fazbear cup with a vintage feel is giving “hawked off eBay” and haunted. (Verdict: Creepy and cursed.)
2. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 stage bucket – Regal Cinemas
This is basically a diorama that I would not trust in a room with the lights off. It’s cool-looking, but I would expect it to come to life as I reached my hand in for some buttery popped goodness. (Verdict: Creepy but corny.)
1. Freddy Fazbear head popcorn bucket – AMC Theaters
We are blown away by this popcorn bucket for so many reasons, but mainly because it’s terrifying. The head holds popcorn, yes, but the container is nightmare fuel that not only features red light-up eyes but also allows you to literally rip Freddy’s face off, revealing an animatronic skull beneath. To make matters more hardcore, the face can then be used as a wearable mask. This might be the best popcorn bucket of the year, honestly. (Verdict: Creepy as hell but genius.)
Friday’s BlumFest 2025 panel at New York Comic Con teased celebrating the studio’s 15th anniversary with appearances by the Black Phone 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel teams, exclusive footage and the announcement of Megan Fox as part of FNAF 2’s voice cast.
Producer and Blumhouse studio founder Jason Blum opened the panel, speaking to where he’d want to go in another decade and a half. “One of the things I’m proudest of is discovering and empowering new talent. People who haven’t done horror, or maybe have done a little bit of horror. People like Jordan Peele,” he told the crowd. “What I’m really looking forward to is meeting and hopefully producing the next generation of horror. Probably the most exciting part about my job, especially as I get older, is working with young people who have vision and energy.”
He also shouted out several upcoming film and TV titles, such as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. “I just saw it two weeks ago, but you’re gonna be very happy about it, but I’m not supposed to talk it up too much. It’s really cool,” he shared. He then shouted out the Jessica Chastain-led and Rob Savage directed The Other Mommy and the series Scarpetta, with Nicole Kidman.
At one point during the panel, the audience received a message from The Further, with Blum noting that Insidious: The Red Door will arrive next fall. During another portion of the panel, Nine inch Nails’ and Eyes Out Studio’s Robin Finck arrived on stage to tease Sleep Awake, the upcoming Blumhouse game that uses full motion video within the 3D game space.
“It’s set in a stunning world, truly of environmental storytelling, and it leverages unique story-driven puzzles with intense stealth and chase sequences,” he said. “We’re playing in a world where everyone is in a panic to remain awake because those who succumb to sleep inexplicably vanish. People are disappearing, leaving only void shadows behind.” The soundtrack will be released on Milan Records.
Read on for more on Black Phone 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 reveals at BlumFest 2025.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Blum, director Emma Tammi, actor Elizabeth Lail and Matthew Lillard all made appearances during the last portion of Friday’s panel, where the director teased that fans can expect “a bunch more animatronics.” That includes Toy Freddie and Toy Bonnie, who made character appearances in the crowd. She also noted that there were more humans, with Lael and Lillard both making appearances. In terms of what the cast and creative team were excited about with the sequel, Lillard teased more lore, more jump scares.
Tammi also revealed several sequel voice actors, including Kellen Goff (Toy Freddy), MatPat (Toy Bonnie) and Megan Fox (Toy Chica). “Her kids happen to be huge Five Nights at Freddy‘s fans as well. So she has heard about this world for a long time from her kids, and she was really pumped to do the voice of Toy Chica. She did the most amazing job. She wanted to pay homage to the games, but also make it her own. And I’m so stoked for you guys to hear her. She’s amazing,” said Tammi of Fox’s casting.
Black Phone 2
Blum was joined by cast members Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Miguel Mora, Demián Bichir and author Joe Hill appeared to tease the sequel and shared exclusive footage in the room. Beyond the clip, the group discussed the first movie’s impact, coming back for another film and what tonally makes the sequel different from the original.
“I wrote the story over 20 years ago, and I got paid like 35 bucks for it, so I was pretty psyched about the film, because Jason Blum actually pays a little bit better,” Hill said about the initial reaction to the films. “I knew it was in good hands because Scott Erickson and Robert Cargill were tackling it, and everything they’ve done has come from the heart. They care intensely about the characters and put the characters first in their stories. I felt safe with them.”
Hawke spoke to Scott’s pitch on a sequel, noting that he got it while in an airport. “Scott said, ‘I really have an idea for a sequel,’ and I paced the airport for about an hour as he kind of described what this movie is. It was breathtaking. Just the dream of the movie, everything that it was,” he said. “In the years that the movie has come out, the fans have really grown and really cared. Knowing the script I’ve read, we were going to make a lot of people really happy.”
Added Thames, “When the movie came out, and how the fans received it, and how special it was to so many people, was insane. It was such a whirlwind. So getting the chance to bring it back, and bring these characters back in this world, expanding on that in a way that I never could have imagined, it’s really special.”
McGraw teased what fans can expect coming back, while noting how it was challenging for her. “Gwen is honestly completely different from where we left off in the first movie. Obviously, years have gone by, and you get to see the trauma and how it has shaped them, and how they’ve tried to grow from it,” she said. “She definitely feels like an outcast now. She’s much more reserved than she was in the first one, and I am definitely the opposite of that. I’m a very social and extroverted person, so I feel like, in a lot of ways, especially with all the emotional scenes, it definitely tested my abilities as an actor.”
Added Mora, “Black Phone 2 revolves so deeply around the trauma that these characters go through, and that they experience was the terrifying grabber,” he said. “Grief is one of those very heavy things with these characters. Ernesto lost his brother in the first one, and stepping into this new perspective was definitely quite the challenge, but something I really enjoyed.”
The gates of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood have opened, and this year’s event has some of the theme park’s biggest debuts. Between Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s, the headliner haunted houses really pack a punch, with the terror titan-led Jason Universe house, based on the Friday the 13th franchise, also helping to power a killer season start.
But that’s not to say there were some lows; surprisingly, HHN’s anticipated Fallout offering fell short of expectations. Some repeat houses managed to hold enough excitement, but the West Coast event—which is smaller than the version mounted by Halloween Horror Nights Orlando—might prove to create uneven experiences for park guests who can’t shell out the extra dough for express passes.
Express tickets were provided by Universal for media to be able to review all the houses, and that’s a key takeaway from the start: as theme park insiders, it was clear to us that it might be near impossible to visit all the houses if you do general event admission. If you’re locked in to that price point, always be sure to prioritize 3-4 houses and one entertainment offering—between the Blumhouse-themed Terror Tram, the stunt show The Purge: Dangerous Waters, or the Chainsaw Man short film screening. If you really want to do everything in one night, upgrading to express may be your best bet.
I do have one pro tip from attending in past years: the express pass will sometimes be offered at 50% off near the end of the night and you can buy in to race through all the houses in the last few hours of the event. I’ve done it myself. You can only take advantage if you’re already in the park when the signs go up at the ticket upgrade stations, so keep an eye out for that.
As an LA local, I’ve also simply spread it out by buying a multi-night ticket (such as the “Frequent Fear” pass) and going once a week to hang out for vibes and scope out shorter lines for houses I’ve missed or want to do again.
Here’s what we thought of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood for 2025:
Terrifier: Art the Clown has unofficially solidified his place as a Horror Nights icon. From the moment you arrive at the event, the roaming silent clown killer chillingly charms with his bag of demented tricks. Personally, and like most going to the event, this was my first exposure to the character and the world of Terrifier, having been deterred by some of the divisive discourse surrounding the gratuitous violence of the franchise. However, the Terrifier house cleared up some of my concerns and I think the films fall more into an absurdist gore vibe versus the gritty gore genre (think more Raimi than Roth).
There are more horrific things, I think, in the Monstruos house with a child being eaten by La Llorona than anything in the Terrifier house. Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Art is still very hardcore but in a hilarious way. We very much enjoyed the Looney Tunes or rather Itchy & Scratchy aura on a very sick cartoony clown’s mission of demonic mayhem. The full display of depravity was such a rollicking good time I went home and watched Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 immediately. Art the Clown will get new fans (myself included) and this house will please longtime fanatics. Get down to the Clown Cafe as soon as you can because this one will have a long queue. And the water splash warnings? They’re for real; bring a poncho.
Jason Universe: This is hands down the scariest house in a traditional sense. Jason stalks you alongside memorable Camp Crystal Lake deaths and with the iconic soundtrack, there are jump scares aplenty. If you’re hard to “get,” you’ll appreciate the attention to detail in making a house that encompasses the Friday the 13th legacy. Even with an express pass, this line was long.
Pro tip: The Jason Universe-themed foods are low-key the HHN snack war winners. We recommend the gouda fondue bread bowl (we paid out of pocket for it); it’s steeped in Angry Orchard cider and comes with green apple slices. It’s available at the same booth as the Jason mask-shaped s’mores. It might be the best food of the horror fest.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: The sheer artistry of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop’s puppetry and HHN performer work makes this one an all-ages all-timer with aplomb. The haunted “animatronics” charging at you or springing to life really works and there are even unexpected jump scares with dead kids creeping up on you as you hover awestruck around Chica or Foxy. Our only complaint is that the stage show centerpiece at the start only featured Freddy; Orlando’s HHN got the whole ensemble.
Chainsaw Man: This import from Universal Studios Japan was an unexpected surprise. Anime fans will delight in a special HHN Japan theater short, which brings the beloved characters (minus Pochita, sadly) into a meta immersive experience where they have to fight demons while attending HHN themselves. The mix of cute, spooky 2D animation and fourth-wall-breaking CG action with a brief adventure featuring the Chainsaw Man gang impresses and I hope we get more overseas fun making its way stateside.
Scarecrow featuring Slash: The HHN Hollywood Scarecrow lore grows with Slash providing a new score. The scares and creature work always make this a standout. However, we were a little underwhelmed by the music; we loved the riff composed by the rock legend but the boom-clap beat made us feel like we were comically in a corn whiskey commercial. It threw the spooky energy off. Hit the bar after.
Monstruos 3:Celebrating the horrors of Latin American folklore has been a fantastic staple of HHN and really there’s no one scarier than La Llorona (IYKYK) and her penchant for kidnapping children and feasting on their souls. Alongside another killer vengeful cryptid, La Siguanaba, this house makes for a solid scare-filled experience; it just felt a little on the shorter side or perhaps we caught it while there was a cast change, which happens sometimes.
WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks: As an homage to the late wrestler who came up with the entertainment wrestling’s campy horror lore, this house is a sentimental and solid send-off. However, as someone whose horror WWE storylines were Undertaker and Kane, I felt so lost and wasn’t sure how to connect the storyline in the house to the personas in the ring. Could have had a bit more cohesion but the set and costuming were on point; we’ll give it that. Pro-tip: This one has a series of gross-smelling rooms, and you’ll also get sprayed.
Terror Tram: Blumhouse taking over the backlot could have been great but it ends up being more like an elaborate meet-and-greet area than a haunt. Unless you particularly want to meet Blumhouse figures of fright and get more steps in, it’s probably best to skip. But if you’re a horror movie fan and want to explore where the movies are made, this is a good spot. The photos are always great so that’s an upside. Be warned: this experience takes up nearly an hour of your time so plan accordingly.
The Purge: Dangerous Waters: This is tired and while we appreciate the effort in the stunts, there hasn’t been a new Purge movie in ages. This space could have been better utilized, perhaps by Fallout, and we’ll explain why in a bit.
Poltergeist: Retire this one.
Fallout: As a fan of Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, there was not enough sassy and scary outlaw Ghoulussy put into this. The Vault scenes were short and focused too much on Lucy’s linear journey rather than giving us a greatest hits of the horrific moments from the Prime Video show. It also wasn’t scary at all and used up so much space in the former Walking Dead year-long house attraction area with few set pieces that it felt over sooner than we would have liked. For a property that’s going to invite long queues, it’s not worth it. A show on the Waterworld stage starring the Ghoul and Lucy squaring off against figures in the wasteland and the Gulper might have been better.
Pro-tip: The Fallout food is a more fun experience; we recommend the Roasted Radroach Legs but also had a particular affinity for the Roasted Stingwing. There’s also RadAway in pouches for you, in-universe-specific item fans.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is open now through November 2. Get tickets here.
Universal Studios is rolling out its houses of horror across the country—opening three major hubs that monster fans can make their Halloween season travel destinations—in this month’s theme park news.
io9 was invited by Universal to experience the very big bag of tricks and treats the theme park creatives are unleashing into the world for fandom fiends seeking thrilling frights. On the West Coast, Universal Studios Hollywood prepares to open the vault with the Fallout house inspired by the Prime Video series and Bethesda video game franchise, alongside its other horror property offerings, come September.
Meanwhile in Las Vegas, AREA15 has opened the gates of Universal Horror Unleashed, a desert warehouse that holds haunted gateways to chilling cinematic experiences. And of course things are already getting started at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando with Terrifier’s Art the Clown being set loose alongside the Five Nights at Freddy’s gang.
Universal Studios Hollywood Fallout lights on tour
HHN Hollywood creative director John Murdy walked through the Fallout house with press to explain the story guests would be experiencing nightly during the Halloween event’s run. “Going through the series, my initial reaction was, ‘Wow, this is a huge world,’ and there’s three different kinds of storylines going on with the show. There’s Lucy’s storyline where she’s searching for her father, there’s Maximus’ storyline with the Brotherhood of Steel, and then there’s the Ghoul and his storyline—kind of going from being a TV actor cowboy to his transformation into this bounty hunter character.”
“So what we decided ultimately to do is we would pretty much be following in Lucy’s footsteps,” he shared, as we saw the under-construction vault setting for the wedding leading to her eventual breakout through the vault door.
“So we’re gonna be taking you from the vault to the wasteland, meeting all the characters along the way,” Murdy continued, and elaborated that Hollywood’s version of the house will offer different set pieces than Orlando. One major difference is that the West Coast will get the mutated Yao Guai bear, whereas Florida will get the Gulper.
Murdy knew one thing for certain: “And then for us, when I saw the Super Duper Mart sequence, which is actually the fourth episode of Fallout, I was like, that is tailor-made for a finale to a Halloween horror house because it’s when all the ghouls are breaking out.”
Murdy acknowledged that the Fallout house would also include many Easter eggs for the show and the games, such as a final scare piece to hype up season two of the Prime Video series.
Murdy also discussed the making of the other major horror video game and now movie franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s with press on a more extensive and detailed BTS tour showcasing the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop puppets, which can be found here.
In Las Vegas, Universal’s year-round horror haven is now officially open with houses that feature The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Universal Monsters, The Exorcist: Believer, and HHN West’s fan-favorite Scarecrow. The Sin City attraction, which io9 attended as a media guest, is the gem of AREA15 Zone 2; it aims to attract immersive-experience fans to a new side of the Strip that elevates experiential entertainment and dining.
Universal Horror Unleashed features spooky sips and eats in addition to live acts, including HHN East’s icons Jack the Clown and Chance—who perfectly suit the chaotic clownery of Vegas.
Many HHN fans will notice that neither Orlando nor Hollywood features a Universal Monsters house this year and that’s because of Universal Horror Unleashed. And when we say it’s the best one yet, we mean it mostly because it finally debuts the Creature From the Black Lagoon as part of the action.
There’s a whole under-the-sea sequence where you wade past seaweed to come face-to-face with the creature that is swimmingly well executed. On top of that you’ll encounter Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride, the Phantom of the Opera, Quasimodo, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy—along with the Gill-man—in an all-out mash that you’ll want to go through over and over again. For ticket information visit here.
While we haven’t yet visited HHN Orlando, the fun officially kicks off this weekend with the annual event’s opening. To celebrate, Art the Clown from Terrifier has taken over the social media account to show he’s taken Jack’s place as the resident clown at Universal Studios in Florida.
And of course, if you’re hoping to see the Universal Monsters while you travel to the East Coast, you can make a day of it at Epic Universe with a visit to Darkmoor and Frankenstein Manor for Monsters Unchained—and then of course go scream your face off at HHN. There’s also no telling what monsters you’ll run into; there could be an Invisible Man or a wild Ygor looking for the Frankenstein creations.
Take a look inside the Five Nights at Freddy’s house at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. It looks like a real Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza location right out of the mind of game creator Scott Cawthon and Emma Tammi’s cinematic adaptation.
io9 was invited to a behind-the-scenes walkthrough of the Hollywood attraction based on the video game and Blumhouse film franchise, opening at HHN ahead of December’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Creative director John Murdy took us through to highlight the incredible work done between Horror Nights, Cawthon, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
The latter provided incredible puppets to bring the iconic FNAF characters to haunting life, powered by Universal’s own team of animatronic engineers. “Going back to our Chucky house, we have a group that works for our tech services department that are young mechanical engineers—they just happen to all love Horror Nights and a few years ago they were coming to us and saying, ‘Hey, we’d love to work with you guys and try to do actual animatronics, which we’ve never done.’” Murdy shared. The Chucky animatronics in the HHN attraction inspired by the Syfy series featured pint-sized and giant versions of the terror titan killer doll.
Murdy continued, “We’ve gotten a lot more technologically advanced with the skillset of this particular group, so they built like 17 animated Chuckys that year we did Chucky, and then last year they built a lot of stuff for A Quiet Place. This year they’re doing the T-60 [from Fallout] for us and they’re also doing the hero Freddy Fazbear [as a] fully electronic character.”
He shared about getting to combine tech with the practical elements of their haunted houses, in particular FNAF, which has been a top-requested property for the event. “A lot of this is simply fan wish fulfillment. It’s like, OK, let’s go for it; let’s give them the houses they’ve been dying to get. And that kind of rolled through the whole development process. This house was developed a little differently than all our other houses up to this point. We always collaborate with our sister park in Orlando, but usually that collaboration is more along the lines of, ‘OK, what’s the main story we want to tell?’ [And] when we made our list of what we wanted from the movie based on the first movie to be in this house, there was nothing we didn’t do. We got every single thing on our list.”
The traditional haunt is, of course primarily scareactors in costumes, but for Five Nights at Freddy’s, the challenges posed really needed safer solutions for performers first and foremost. Reaching out to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which worked on the puppets used in the Blumhouse FNAF film and on Universal Fan Fest Nights, was the obvious course of action.
“The other big thing we knew early on was that in order to pull this off, we really needed to work with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. [They] had to build so many creatures and they had to learn how to do it for us,” Murdy explained. “It’s really different when you’re making a movie. You know, with Five Nights at Freddy’s, [there are] puppeted figures, and there are guys in suits [on a movie set]. Guys in suits are out of the question for us because you can do that in a movie for—typically when the cameras are rolling—it’s like a minute or two until they cut and then [the costume] comes off. The performer can go to their trailer and chill out. That’s not how it works in Halloween Horror Nights. Our performers need to be on set for roughly about 45 minutes and then they’re taking a 45-minute break, and then they’re back on set. So we needed to figure out the ergonomics behind all of this as well as the aesthetics, and so it was a big collaboration with Henson. We’ve been in meetings with them every week for well over a year.”
The set immersing park guests into the environment of a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza was also very important to the HHN teams and Murdy confirmed Hollywood and Orlando’s houses are virtually alike save for some small differences. Both teams worked hard to include as many Easter eggs from the film, such as kid’s art alluding to the yellow rabbit and the training video, which will play as guests enter a night of security guard watch.
Right off the bat you enter the restaurant parlor area with the stage, where the animatronics come to life with puppeteers supplemented by scareactors. “There’s a lot of puppets, but we wanted that human factor as well, like the classic jump scare that are kind of the bread and butter of haunted houses. So that’s where we’re using the ghost kids and we’re also using all of those guys who broke in and trashed the place,” Murdy said. Foxy is teased with eerie music as you venture throughout as if you’re Mike Schmidt (played by Josh Hutcherson in the movies) on a security shift.
As you go along, you’ll encounter not only Freddy but also come face to face with Chica with Carl the Cupcake, Bonnie, Foxy, and of course Yellow Bonnie. In order to really capture how these set-piece fights will be effective, Murdy described the mechanics of the scare with Freddy Fazbear.
“In the Chucky house, we created this character we called Mega Chucky. How that worked is there’s a track above the performer’s head and what’s called a traveler. The performer is kind of like strapped into this thing. The monitor for the performer to see is inside the figure itself, and then they’ve got shoes that connect to the feet of the character, so they’re actually able to kind of take a few steps.”
“So we did that for [Freddy] he’s right over here on a big traveler track, so he has the ability [to] come out from there [and] take steps [toward guests].”
You don’t have to be a FNAF diehard to enjoy the work that went into this house, but of course there’s plenty for the fandom, including a certain striped cup and foil ball on the security desk (IYKYK). The nostalgia was so real and Murdy revealed that scents will harken to the ’90s era of pizza arcade casinos so many of us grew up with.
“Like there’s something still lingering in this environment because it was a family entertainment center,” is how he described the aromatics of the house. “[A place] where they served a lot of pizza and a lot of popcorn and a lot of that kind of stuff. I think in the showroom, it’s more of a popcorn thing. The pizza’s [scent] in the kitchen, I believe.”
And of course the mood will be set throughout with the music from the franchise, with the iconic theme greeting you when you enter: “It’s particularly in the facade, and then the rest of it is all score music from the film.” As a Henson puppet fan, I’m stoked to see the characters in action and having attended HHN for decades, I can attest that the Five Nights at Freddy’s house takes things to a new level for theme park haunts.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s house will open the doors to Freddy Fazbear’s come September 4 at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. For ticket info visit here.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is bringing the wasteland from Fallout to life in more ways than the haunted house inspired by the hit Prime Video show and video game.
io9 was recently invited to HHN Hollywood’s food tasting to try the frightful fare coming to the spooky season haunt event. We had the option to preview selections from menu items and merch inspired by this year’s slate of horror IPs coming to the theme park, including Terrifier, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the Jason (Voorhees) Universe. But it was Fallout that nuclear blasted us away with big hits and surprising misses.
Loaded Cram Fries: These hearty, cheesy pub fries with fried spam chunks are good for sharing; it’s pretty standard theme park fare. I love the cheese and potato combo always but could do without the spam; the dry, greasy canned meat on top of greasy fries was too heavy. Roasted Radroach Legs: The TV dinner-style blackened Radroach (turkey) wings with a side of pub fries were pretty solid. The glaze did give it the right color to pass for, you know, a giant roach piece, which works. Roasted Stingwing: I was pleasantly surprised by the plant-based meatloaf served with insta-mash and mushroom gravy. The mash was a bit flavorless, but that was fine because once it’s worked in with the Stingwing (Beyond) meat and mushroom gravy, it’s so tasty! I had two of these and plan to order at the park when I go again, instead of the Radroach—and I’m not even a vegan; that’s how you know it’s good. I would fight a mutated scorpion fly to eat it if it was rationed in the wasteland.
Other savory options and their descriptions from Universal Studios HHN we’ll try when it’s open:
Brahmin Burger – all-beef burger topped with smoked brisket, pickles and BBQ sauce
Gulper Stew – creamy clam chowder topped with green onions and crispy bacon
Iguana on a Stick – cheesy cornflake-crusted corn dog
Yum Yum Deviled Eggs: These nearly got me tricked. I love deviled eggs, and while I do think that would have been a haunting choice to later experience as part of the gaseous smells of the haunted houses, it turns out they’re dessert! The eggs are actually coconut panna cotta filled with Chamoy pineapple bits and topped with mango topping and Tajin. As someone who is not into that profile of flavors, I bowed out but have to hand it to the Universal culinary team; the texture and look had me so fooled. It’s a playful callback to the safe-to-eat-for-200-years Yum Yum Deviled Eggs in the show and games.
RadAway: It comes in a pouch that’s game accurate over show accurate, which is just awesome. It’s a lemonade that has faint notes of chipotle but definitely overpowers the palate with pineapple flavor. If that’s your bag, have fun; I’d rather be a ghoul than drink the RadAway.
The rest of the drink and dessert fare:
Vault Dwellers Wedding Cake – red velvet sponge cake with cream cheese mousse
Sunset Sarsaparilla – hot honey root beer topped with sweet cold foam (non-alcoholic)
Quantum Fizz – blue raspberry Sprite with a sour blue raspberry rim (non-alcoholic)
The Nuclear Blast – vodka, peach schnapps, blue curaçao, orange and lemon juice, simple syrup, and Sprite topped with a dehydrated lemon wheel
Take a look at the gallery below for a full preview of the options that will be available this fall at HHN Hollywood!
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights starts Thursday, September 4, and runs through Sunday, November 2. Tickets are available for purchase here.
A sixth night at Freddy’s? Unbelievable. Blumhouse announced at CinemaCon 2024 that a sequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s was coming in 2025. The first Five Nights at Freddy’s was a major success for both Blumhouse and Peacock — earning $291 million worldwide at the box office and becoming the most-watched title in a weekend on the streamer.
The first FNaF starred Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, who takes a night guard job at an abandoned pizza place to support him and his sister. It’s a big ruh-roh for Mike, as this pizza parlor is inhabited by animatronics possessed by the ghosts of children murdered by serial killer William Afton. The movie ended with a clear sequel hook, and the FNaF games have gone on for ages, so news of this sequel isn’t exactly a jumpscare.
Spoilers for the first Five Nights at Freddy’s
Mike, his slightly psychic sister Abby, and daughter-of-a-serial-killer Vanessa are all alive. In the lore of the games, Vanessa isn’t the helpful sidekick she’s made out to be in the first film, so it’s possible she’ll be the primary antagonist of FNaF 2: Still Freddy After All These Years.
Buddy, you have no idea. There are endless movie sequel ideas in the game’s exceedingly expansive lore.
At CinemaCon, Universal President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Jim Orr could only give a rough estimate of fall 2025. The first Freddy came out simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock just in time for Halloween. Seems probably we’ll see something similar in 2025.
Josh Hutcherson starred in one of 2023 biggest box office success stories — the horror video game adaptation “Five Nights at Freddy’s” — and he recently told Variety that things are moving along on the second chapter. Hutcherson, who is currently on the press circuit for the action movie “The Beekeeper,” suggested the status of a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” sequel is looking good.
“I know they’re in the process right now of nailing down the story, and they want to get going as soon as possible,” Hutcherson said. “Obviously, the fans are amazing and die hard. For me to be a part of it was was so cool and phenomenal.
“We hoped it would connect with audiences,” he continued. “But I don’t think that anybody, even on our side of things, expected it to really connect the way that it did. I’m dying to get back on set. Emma Tammi, our director, was fantastic, and it was such a fun world to play in. I’m excited to see what they are doing next.”
Variety has reached out to Blumhouse for additional comment.
Hutcherson also shared that his “Hunger Games” co-star Jennifer Lawrence dropped him a line to celebrate “Five Nights at Freddy’s” box office success, on the same weekend that her film “No Hard Feelings” topped the Netflix chart.
“Jen texted me when “Freddy’s’ came out,” Hutcherson said. “She was like, ‘My movie’s #1 on Netflix, and your’s is #1 at the box office! Let’s go!’ I was like, ‘I love you!’”
Hutcherson’s new film, “The Beekeeper,” is debuting in theaters on Jan. 12.
His latest film, Five Nights at Freddy’s, is smashing box office and streaming records, he has a new improv show premiering on Amazon’s Freevee next week, his Quest’s End whiskey sold out its first drop, and he runs a luxury gaming company, Beadle & Grimm’s, with four of his close friends.
“This is a really lovely little comeback moment for me,” Lillard tells The Hollywood Reporter, before reconsidering that sentiment. “I sort of want to quote LL [Cool J], ‘Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.’”
Lillard is no stranger to a successful franchise, of course, having starred in Scream and Scooby-Doo — but the overwhelming success of the film adaptation of a popular video game about a haunted restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s isn’t lost on him.
Freddy’s scared up an astounding $80 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend — even with a day-and-date release on Peacock. The film from Universal and Blumhouse set an all-time record for Halloween weekend, is the biggest horror opening so far in 2023, and is the third highest ever for the genre (behind only New Line’s It films). It has passed $220 million globally — and in the first five days of its release became the most-watched Peacock title ever.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this thing that has become an international sensation,” Lillard says. “I realize that these opportunities don’t come around that often. It’s been a really rich, joyful moment because I can sort of sit back and appreciate it on a deeper level.”
In his first interview about the film post-strike, Lillard spoke with THR about the pressure of playing an iconic monster and explained Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! in a way even D&D newbies can understand.
[The following Q&A contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.]
Lillard in Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Did you expect this kind of reaction to Five Nights at Freddy’s?
When I got the offer to do the movie, it was an incoming call. Basically, the proposition was go sit with [director] Emma Tammi, and if you guys get along, and you want to do the movie, you’ll get the offer. Every time that happens in my life, it usually means the movie’s pretty bad. At this point in my career, it’s not like I’m out there just getting Academy Award opportunities. I have to fight for those great roles. We met, and she explained the character, and he’s the Voldemort in the Five Nights at Freddy’s universe.
I came home, and I was talking to my wife about it, and my middle child was sitting there, and they heard me say Five Nights of Freddy’s and were like, “Wait, who are you playing?” I said, “William Afton and some rabbit.” And they were like, “Dad. That is going to be huge!” Then, my son came in, and he affirmed the exact same thing. The fact that the two of them agreed on something was crazy.
Scott Cawthon, the game designer, said to me at some point, “In a year or two, nobody’s going to be able to picture this character without it being related to you.” I kind of brushed that off as hyperbole. I took the job — and at conventions I immediately I saw my line triple in size. Every third kid would come up saying, “I cannot wait for you to be a part of this movie and this franchise. We’ve been waiting eight years for the film.” They were so excited. You start seeing projections coming out for the movie — and, in the back of my mind, I was like, “I think it’s going to be way bigger.” I’m in the trenches at these conventions. Kids come up to me all the time. Cut to early projections being $40 million and then doing $80 million on the first weekend. It was remarkable and super exciting.
I went into it cold. I knew it was based on a video game, but I didn’t know anything other than that. Finding out you were the villain was a fun twist for people who were not familiar with the game.
It’s really interesting. Jason Blum said multiple times that this is a movie that is built for the fans. I think he’s right. They weren’t that concerned with whether [other] people like the movie, and I think they were right with the idea of like, “Hey man, this isn’t a movie for everyone. This is a movie for this fan base, and we are going to bet that they’re going to come out and support it.” Their bet was 100 percent on the mark, and I think that they did a great job appealing to that community in an authentic way.
For people who are not familiar with the game, how would you describe your character?
I play a character that is living in plain sight in the world, and he is a horrible monster. Toward the end of the film, when my daughter can’t handle a situation, I have to step in and take over. I do not accomplish that goal and end up meeting my demise. It’s the first step in a journey that has this rich canon that spans multiple video games. I play a monster who, at the end of the day, gets his comeuppance and is thrown into this horror realm that he created.
The hard part about playing this part is the pressure I put on myself to honor the fans, to deliver a great performance in an iconic role. There are millions of kids worldwide, and people that started playing as kids and are now adults, that have an expectation that this film will deliver on a really great level. So, being this iconic bad guy, the amount of pressure I put on myself to not suck is pretty extraordinary. That’s the hardest part.
What did you think of it being PG-13? I think it was very, very smart. A PG-13 scary movie on Halloween weekend that’s based on an extremely popular video game.
Yeah, it turns out that’s a recipe for success. I think it’s on-brand for what the game is. There’s a tension to it. There is a jump scare factor to it. It doesn’t have to be violent to be scary. So, I think the PG-13 is right. I’m going to give all the credit to Scott and to Emma. Most other people would try to get away from the IP and make something more scary, and look for a more traditional road to success. In a movie like this, they’d push the horror, they’d push the gore, they’d push the violence. To both of their credits, they adhered to what was needed for this community. It’s not very often that you get to hold onto your North Star in the creative process, and I think they did a good job of establishing a goal and successfully delivering on what they wanted to do.
What did your kids say?
I think they’re more chuffed that I’m in the movie than with the performance in the movie. My middle kid called me crying because they were so happy for me when the movie came out. They went to the movie with all their friends, and I think they were very proud of me being a part of it. It was important to me, and I think it was fun for my family. I haven’t been in a movie that’s appeared in a movie theater since they can remember. For me, personally, it has been a very humbling moment in my career. I’m 53, and I’ve had a couple franchises in my career that have been successful. I [had thought] maybe that part of my career is dead and over, and that’s fine. I’m still doing all kinds of fun stuff, and I’m really excited about the things I’m doing. To get this opportunity out of the blue to have another franchise that could make a real impact on my career is humbling and exciting, and my kids are thrilled.
The strike’s been over for like 36 hours, so I’m sure they’re already talking to you about a sequel.
This is the first conversation I’ve had about the movie ever. We couldn’t do press the entire time. So, the idea that we’re sitting here having this conversation is amazing because that movie opened day-and-date with Peacock, which didn’t hurt the opening, but it certainly hurt the second weekend, and I’m sure it’s going to hurt this weekend. We weren’t able to support it. All those traditional avenues of publicity weren’t available to us. I’m excited to see when they greenlight the second movie, the plan we put together to make it even bigger and even more successful.
What was it like for you to not be able to talk about something you’re excited about? I saw the video that you made on Instagram for your fans where you’re like “I can’t talk about this thing, but thank you for your support.“
I have so many more things going on in my life right now than I’ve ever had, and the good news is that I’ve learned not to seek out validation from this godforsaken industry. It feels great, but the reality is I have a Dungeons & Dragons company that’s launching a new TV show on Freevee that I am just as excited about. I just launched my own whiskey company on Oct. 8, and it was so successful we’re reissuing the first drop. We just did a poetry slam for kids living at Five Acres, an event that my wife and I created together. Those are the things that I put my energy into. Those are the things that I seek satisfaction from. I don’t think you can survive in this industry looking for validation from film and television because it’s just too fickle. If I was depending on that sort of affirmation, I wouldn’t still be acting. I would be doing something else.
Being 53 years old — and being around the block a couple times — I have a much deeper sense of appreciation in this moment than I probably have ever had because I didn’t expect it. I realize that these opportunities don’t come around that often. It’s been a really rich, joyful moment because I can sort of sit back and appreciate it on a deeper level.
Tell me about the Freevee show and explain it to me as someone who has never played Dungeon & Dragons.
Here’s the good news: We are the onboarding show for everyone who’s never played D&D, who is D&D curious. I have a Dungeon & Dragons company that I started five years ago with my four best friends called Beadle & Grimm’s. We make high-end box editions for games like Dungeons & Dragons or Critical Role or Pathfinder or Magic: The Gathering. We created this niche of luxury game accessories for ultimate geeks. That company is thriving. We came up with an idea called Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! It’s very rules-light, and we pitched it as Whose Line is it Anyway? meets Dungeons & Dragons. It’s an improv comedy show that is a one-hour D&D love letter.
Lillard in Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!.
What does the title mean?
It’s a riff off of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, which is the Russ Meyer movie from the ’60s. It’s campy, it’s silly, and that’s kind of the tone of the show. Every episode is the story of four first-level characters, which is the basic level, very newbie characters. It’s a story of these four heroes going off into the world and, unfortunately for them, they run into a legendary Dungeons & Dragons monster like Tiamat the Dragon, or like a purple worm, and get completely obliterated.
I know it sounds really weird, but the show is super funny. At the end of the day, it’s about what people do when faced with their ultimate demise. What does a hero look like? Every episode has moments of people having real human connection points. One of the last episodes we did, the conceit of the show is a family is trying to resurrect a father, and they want him to sign off on this will. My dad is very sick with dementia. It’s horrible, a horrible experience and, in the show, I was playing this character who’s desperate to hug his father one more time. As we were going through the game, I was getting deeply connected to my own experience with my own dad.
At the end of the show, we do this thing called the epitaph. These characters get wiped out. What are the things your friends say about you on the day of your death? People get connected to their characters, and they have this really sweet moment at the end of these shows. Anyway, at the end of the show where I was trying to hug my dad, I couldn’t get a word out. I was sobbing. Everyone ended up in tears. The incredible thing about Dungeons & Dragons is that it’s a game that is really about sitting around a table and telling stories, and you end up connecting to that story. In this moment, I had this deep connection to what was happening and I had a real reaction that was cathartic and emotional. I think that sort of encapsulates the beauty of the game and the beauty of the show.
Is there anything else that you especially want people to know about right now?
I would love to talk about my whiskey company. We created this company called Find Familiar Spirits, and the idea is that we are building high-end whiskey experiences around fandoms. We just dropped something called Quest’s End, and it’s a gaming whiskey. Each box comes with a story. We drop four different bottles every year and each bottle has the continuation of the story. The idea of building something high-end and luxury for fans, not appealing to all four quadrants, but going after hyper-specific communities and speaking to them in an authentic way, I think is super powerful. We do that with Beadle & Grimm’s. We’re doing that with the whiskey company. I think it relates to why Scott and Five Nights has been so successful. When you give a community that feels like they are outsiders something special, something curated, that community will come out and support it. I think that’s a really powerful lesson.
Universal and Blumhouse’s horror hit Five Nights at Freddy’s led a frightfully slow frame at the domestic box office amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Originally, Denis Villeneuve’s high-profile tentpole Dune: Part Two was set to open this weekend, but the movie fled to 2024 because of the prohibition on stars doing any promotion. Legendary Pictures, home of the Dune franchise, believes the sequel’s cast — including Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet — is integral to the movie’s success.
Domestic ticket sales for all films are expected to come in at around $64 million for the weekend, one of the lowest showings of the year so far.
Five Nights at Freddy’s remains a star in its own right. The pic earned $19.4 million from 3,789 theaters in its sophomore outing as it jumped the $100 million mark domestically in less than 10 days. It’s no surprise that the pic tumbled a steep 76 percent, considering it’s also available on Peacock.
Overseas — where it is only available in theaters — Freddy’s pulled in an impressive $35.6 million for foreign tally of $103.5 million and global haul of $217.1 million against a modest $20 million budget (it is only the second horror title of 2023 to cross $200 million after New Line’s The Nun II, which has dazzled with $265.9 million).
Taylor Swift‘s and AMC Theatres’ Taylor Swift: Eras Tour continued to impress, grossing another $12 million to $13 million from 3,604 cinemas to hold at No. 2. The record-breaking concert pic has now cleared the $165 million domestically, according to rival estimates.
Martin Scorsese’s Oscar contender Killers of the Flower Moon, from Apple Original Films, came in third with an estimated $7 million from 3,706 locations for a domestic total of $52.3 million through its third weekend. Paramount is distributing Killers on behalf of Apple, which fully financed and marketed the $200 million epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro.
Sofia Coppola‘s awards contender Priscilla also made a major play this weekend as A24 expanded the movie nationwide after a promising start at the specialty box office. The movie, starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley, chronicles the years Presley spent with Elvis Presley, who is played by Jacob Elordi.
Thanks in large part to younger females, Priscilla came in ahead of industry expectations with an estimated $5.1 million from 1,344 theaters, good enough to come in No. 4. Female moviegoers made up 65 percent of the audience, while 75 percent of all ticket buyers were under 35.
Mexican comedy-drama Radical, starring and produced by Eugenio Derbez, rounded out the top five in North America with an estimated opening of $2.4 million from only 419 theaters. The new film features Derbez in his first dramatic starring role, and is from Pantelion Films, Participant and production outfit 3Pas Studios.
Radical is already a box office hit in Mexico, where it is one of the most successful films of the post-pandemic era.
More to come.
Nov. 5, 7:30 a.m.: Updated with revised weekend estimates.
This story was originally published Nov. 4 at 9:57 a.m.
The ramifications of the actors strike at the weekend box office continues to be felt, as ticket sales this weekend plummeted to $58.3M, which is currently the third-lowest of 2023. Remember, Legendary/Warner Bros’ Zendaya-Timothee Chalamet-Austin Butler-Florence Pugh sequel Dune: Part Twowas originally set to play this weekend, and with its departure, there’s at least $50M — if not substantially more — missing from the box office.
Legendary opted to move that sequel, based on the Frank Herbert novel, to March 2024, so that the actors could properly promote the sci-fi pic; the first pic’s ticket sales siphoned from a day-and-date theatrical play with streaming service Max.
‘Dune: Part Two’
Warner Bros
After this weekend, the next two lowest at the box office for 2023 to date were Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 10-12) with $52.6M, and Sept. 22-24, which saw $51.8M.
Speaking of day-and-date, the good news with Universal-Peacock’sFive Nights at Freddy‘s is that it cracked past $100M, becoming one of a few titles with such a dynamic distribution model to do so (alongside Black Widow, Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong and Jungle Cruise). The bad news is that the movie’s availability in the home to Peacock paid subs, plus the massive YA leaning nature of the IP, has the videogame movie dropping like a rock at $17.8M in weekend 2, -78%, for a running ten-day total by tomorrow of $112M.Freddy‘s is No. 1, benefiting from the circumstance that there’s no Dune 2.
Can you imagine if we didn’t have the Taylor Swift: Eras Concert Film on the schedule? Her faithful continue to make the movie No. 2, with an $11.9M take in weekend 4 and running total of $164.3M.
While some in distribution think it’s hard to quantify the impact of the actors strike (now in its 114th day) at the box office, its pretty clear that thespians are needed to promote and deliver large halos around tentpoles so that the message is transmitted around the globe that there’s a must-see event.
In certain cases, particularly with horror, and movies like Nun II and Five Nights at Freddy‘s, IP can get a studio by. But brand alone doesn’t sell. You need stars. It can be argued that part of the expected slowdown next weekend with the opening of Disney/Marvel Studios’ The Marvels stems from the studio’s inability to promote the pic properly at Comic-Cons. Even if the strike settles this weekend, it’s not clear whether the pic’s cast will be able to attend the movie’s “fan event” in Las Vegas this coming week. It would not be shocking if we see The Marvels charting one of the lowest openings for a Marvel Studios movie next weekend in November with less than $70M –lower than 2021’s The Eternals ($71.2M)— the movie not only a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, but also a crossover from the Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. Presales for The Marvels are pacing behind that of Black Adam and The Flash (those respective openings at $67M and $55M).
Some specialty affair and wide releases from smaller distributors have vied to take advantage of the marketplace this weekend in the lack of competition from a major studio wide release.
‘Priscilla’ starring Jacob Elordi and Callee Spaeney
A24
A24’s critically acclaimed film festival darling Priscilla from Sofia Coppola is seeing around $4.9M in 4th place from its expansion from four NYC and LA theaters last weekend to 1,350 theaters. That’s better than the expanded weekend on Coppola’s The Beguiled from Focus Features back in July 2017 ($3.2M at 674 theaters), almost near topping the entire cume of the filmmaker’s Bling Ring ($5.8M), and almost near the opening weekend (at 859 theaters) of her Marie Antoinette ($5.3M) back in 2006.
No CinemaScore, but Comscore/Screen Engine PostTrak audiences gave the Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny movie a 71% positive and 50% recommend. Women attended at 67%, with 61% between 18-34 and the largest demo being the Euphoria Elordi 18-24 fans at 38%. Diversity demos were 48% Caucasian, 33% Latino and Hispanic, 8% Black, and 12% Asian/other. Priscilla played best on the coasts, but was the strongest in the West. AMC Burbank is the pic’s richest in the nation, with a running total of $11K. Yesterday was $1.9M, $450K of that coming from Thursday night previews.
Radical
Mateo London
Lionsgate’s Pantelion has the robust Eugenio Derbez Spanish-language pic Radical, which is posting a very strong theater average of $5,2K from 419 theaters, or $2.2M for the weekend in 5th place after a $780K Friday. The weepy pic, which follows an aspiring teacher who is giving hope to a down on its luck Mexican border town, spurred word of mouth with Latino and Hispanic audiences in its initial Mexico release on Oct. 20, the movie having grossed $5M there. Strong numbers for Radical in Los Angeles, El Paso, Dallas and Houston. Exhibitor Relations firm PaperAirplane handled marketing on this. Derbez has the highest grossing Spanish-language at the domestic box office, Instructions Not Included, from 2013, which grossed $44.4M.
Meg Ryan and David Duchovny in ‘What Happens Later’
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street has the Meg Ryan directed return to rom-com, and first feature starring role in eight years, What Happens Latterat 1,492 locations, which did an estimated $603K on Friday, for what’s shaping up to be a $1.5M opening weekend in 9th place. A theatrical release will help prop this holiday title, which also stars David Duchovny, on PVOD menus come December, which is where all the money is in these short theatrical window plays. Audiences, like critics (51% on Rotten Tomatoes) aren’t excited about this return to form for Ryan at 43% positive on PostTrak, 25% recommend. Those who bought tickets were women at 70% with the largest demo being those over 55 at 28%. Diversity demos were 57% Caucasian, 13% Hispanic and Latino, 8% Black, and 23% Asian/other. What Happens Later played in the South, Midwest & West. The AMC Lincoln Square in NYC is the pic’s best venue in the nation, with just over $2K.
Daisy Ridley in ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions
Outside the top ten, Roadside Attractions has the STX Daisy Ridley-Ben Mendelsohn starring, Neil Burger-directedThe Marsh King’s Daughter, with $851k for the weekend after a $310K Friday at 1,055 theaters. With a $806 theater average off Rotten Tomatoes reviews that are at 39% — nobody’s going.
Top 5 pics:
1.) Five Nights at Freddy’s (Uni) 3,789 (+114) theaters, Fri $5.4M (-86%) 3-day $17.8M (-78%), Total $112M/Wk 2
2.) Taylor Swift: Eras Tour (AMC) 3,604 (-169) theaters, Fri $3.6M (-23%) 3-day $11.9M (-23%)/Total $164.3M/ Wk 4
3.) Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple/Par) 3,786 (+154) theaters Fri $1.94M (-27%) 3-day $6.45M (-31%)/Total $51.7M/Wk 3
“Strike, strike, strike, strike,” said Millennium Media President Jeffrey Greenstein, when asked about the lack of big projects and deals at this year’s American Film Market. Santa Monica’s annual indie movie showcase, which wraps up Sunday, has been quieter than usual, with no blockbuster sales and only a handful of new projects generating real buzz.
A24’s Civil War, Alex Garland’s new sci-fi film starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny, was the rare finished film at AFM that everyone was talking about that appears to have triggered a bidding war. The near-future thriller —”an intellectual action film,” is how one buyer described it — is set in a United States on the brink of total collapse.
But much of the independent film industry remains in a holding pattern, awaiting a final deal between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end the actors strike and allow filmmakers to cast their new projects and sales agents to package and present them to buyers international and domestic.
SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP continued negotiations on Thursday and appear to be close to a final contract, if outstanding issues, like the use of AI, can be resolved. The moment a deal is done, many expect a flood of new projects and deals, a burst of business that could create its own problems with too many filmmakers chase too few actors and scheduling slots.
“We were in negotiations with an actor for a movie and had an April slot for next year when the strike happened, so it was pencils down,” said Greenstein. “When the strike ends, we’re going to have to see what else she has on her schedule and if there’ll be a bottleneck.”
The actors strike is only the most immediate crisis for the industry, however. Dealmakers at AFM were more concerned about the more fundamental disruption of the traditional business models that underpin indie film. The windowing system, where a film was licensed to be shown sequentially on different, exclusive exploitation platforms — first theatrical, then transactional or home entertainment, later on pay-TV, streaming and free TV — was smashed by the rise of the streamers, who often did global all rights deals for movies, meaning they were only shown on their platform and nowhere else.
“The different windowing system broke [with] all these windows shrinking or gone completely,” noted Lourdes Diaz, CCO, AGC Studios, “but all rights from the streamers are going away and everything is opening up again.”
Diaz said AGC’s big eight-figure deals with Netflix for Richard Linklater’s Hitman and Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour, announced at TIFF, included exclusive theatrical windows. “These films work really well with an audience and so it was important to us, and to our filmmaker partners, to makes sure they could be seen with an audience,” she said.
“The value of the theatrical window is real,” added Maren Olson, EVP, Film at 30WEST. “For so long we’ve been selling to streamers and that ends up being one-stop shopping, whereas before we were trying to sell to literally everybody, and you’d want to get a fee for every single window that your film could possibly have.”
Apple moved into theatrical releasing with Martin Scorsese‘s Western drama Killers of the Flower Moon, which opened to a respectable $23.3 million in its big-screen debut. The tech giant’s next theatrical play will be Ridley Scott’s historic epic Napoleon, starring Joaquin Pheonix, which Apple and Sony will open Nov. 22. Earlier this year, Apple Original Films said it plans to spend $1 billion a year to produce movies intended for theatrical release.
Universal and Blumhouse hit a new theatrical high with the $80 million domestic opening for Emma Tammi’s horror video game adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s, despite Universal’s decision to debut the movie simultaneously on its sister streaming service Peacock. And Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour concert film, released through a direct deal with AMC Theatres, has grossed some $150 million domestically and more than $200 million worldwide.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s shows a simultaneous theatrical and streaming release can work if done right,” said Brian O’Shea, CEO of The Exchange. “But no one knows what works and what doesn’t or where the money is going to come from: Theatrical, transactional, pay-one? The models right now are all over the place.”
“What we are seeing is there is real opportunity in the distribution business,” said Olson. “At the moment in the U.S. there is definitely a need for more domestic buyers. But if we can have those additional theatrical successes, that will lure more distributors back into the business, give everybody more options, and will create a cycle that is positive for business both on the streamers and the theatrical front.”
[This story contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.]
Five Nights at Freddy’s filmmaker Emma Tammi has now set the opening weekend record of $80 million for a Blumhouse film, and she’s keenly aware that her journey to this point was an unlikely one.
Tammi started out as a documentary filmmaker, tackling such subjects as endurance running in Fair Chase (2014) and the 2016 Presidential Election in the Jason Blum-produced Election Day: Lens Across America (2017). From there, the producers of Fair Chase approached her about the supernatural horror film, The Wind (2018), after seeing the way she and co-director Alex Cullen captured New Mexico in their doc. They wanted Tammi to bring those same instincts to The Wind’s own New Mexico backdrop amidst the Old West.
The Wind ended up being well received, which signaled to Blum that Tammi could also be a viable genre director. He eventually thought of her for the long-in-development Five Nights at Freddy’s video game adaptation, and her pitch soon won over franchise creator Scott Cawthon, who’d lost a bit of faith after the project struggled mightily to get off the ground since its inception at Warners in 2015.
“By the time I spoke with Scott, I’m not sure if he was confident that this movie was ever going to get made. They had some false starts,” Tammi tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So I think he was not only feeling the pressure from the fan base to get this film up and running, but he was also feeling very steadfast in knowing that he did not want this adaptation to be made unless it was done correctly.”
The key to Tammi’s pitch was deepening the characters that Cawthon established in his own script, and with the help of co-writer Seth Cuddeback, they collectively cracked the story that had been in the works for nearly a decade.
With an $80 million opening weekend and a new Blumhouse record that tops Halloween’s (2018) $76.2 million, Tammi was never fazed by the added amount her film could’ve made had it not been a day-and-date release with Peacock. Naturally, she’s also open to returning for a sequel, as there are some unresolved story points she’d like to address. One of those is the presumed death of Mary Stuart Masterson’s Aunt Jane in the home of Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio), which would certainly raise some eyebrows given that she was challenging for custody of Abby.
“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,” Tammi says. “We have some loose ends that I think are going to have to come back in a sequel to be tied up.”
Below, during a conversation with THR on the morning of her film’s release, Tammi also discusses Matthew Lillard’s performance that has shades of his breakout role as Stu Macher in Scream (1996).
So how did a documentarian wind up in the genre space en route to Five Nights at Freddy’s?
That’s a great question that I’m asking myself this morning as well. Documentary filmmaking allowed me to wear a lot of different hats because it tends to be quite low budget with small teams. So I was able to start producing and camera operating and editing and directing, and that really helped prepare me well for stepping into my first feature called TheWind. And ironically, I got linked up with the producers and financiers of that film because they had helped me out on a documentary film [Fair Chase] that I had shot in New Mexico. They were reminded of the landscapes that we’d captured in that documentary, and The Wind took place in the West at the turn of the century. So that was one of the things that made them think that I might be a good candidate to chat with the writer and step into the role of directing that film.
So that was really my first entry into fictional film and TV, and it’s been amazing. I fell in love with it and haven’t wanted to stop since. Along the way, I got to work with Blumhouse on both a documentary [Election Day: Lens Across America] and some narrative episodes for an anthology series [Into the Dark] that they produced, and I developed my relationship with them more and more. Cut to Jason Blum giving me a ring when they were looking for a director on Five Nights at Freddy’s, and he allowed me to throw my hat in the ring and read the existing script and talk to Scott Cawthon about my vision to help bring the adaptation to life. So it was a winding journey.
Freddy Fazbear and director Emma Tammi on the set of Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Courtesy of Patti Perret/Universal Pictures
Before you came on, the film was in development for quite a while. Other companies tried and failed. If you had to guess, what was the key to your pitch? What did Scott Cawthon, Jason Blum and Blumhouse seem to respond to the most?
By the time I spoke with Scott, I’m not sure if he was confident that this movie was ever going to get made. They had some false starts. So I think he was not only feeling the pressure from the fan base to get this film up and running, but he was also feeling very steadfast in knowing that he did not want this adaptation to be made unless it was done correctly. And by correctly, I mean in line with what he thought the fan base would really love.
So when I came on, I was so drawn to the characters that he had laid out in the version of the script that I got to read, and I talked to him about how we could make those characters even deeper and really hone in on the scares and amp up the humor and all the elements that he knew were important cornerstones of this adaptation. We were on the same page of what still needed to happen, and in the end, he was like, “Let’s do a pass on the script and we’ll see if it works out.” So it wasn’t until Seth Cuddeback and I finished a rewrite on the script that Scott really felt confident that we were on the right track, and then we were able to move forward into prep and eventually production.
Foxy, Chica, Freddy Fazbear and Bonnie in Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
The animatronics and puppets are quite special. Did you write to what the technology was capable of as far as emotion? Or did you tell Jim Henson’s Creature Shop what you needed in each sequence so they could calibrate ahead of time as best they could?
We did not write to the capability of the animatronics. Henson’s company, along with the original designs from the first Five Nights at Freddy’s, designed and created and built the animatronics with this current script in mind, knowing that Bonnie needed to do X and Foxy needed to do Y. So those elements were in the mix in terms of thinking about how they were going to function and operate, but we also needed to pivot to what they were actually able to do and what the limitations were, and incorporate whatever new things that we weren’t expecting. So it was just a real collaboration through and through, not only in the design and build phase, but certainly in the rehearsal period.
On the day, there were a bunch of performers and puppeteers that made these animatronics come to life. We also had a bunch of different versions of the animatronics. In some versions, there were incredibly talented performers inside the suit, in addition to puppeteers, offscreen, who would operate the eyes or the eyebrows or the ears and arms, with remote controls. So it was a real big team effort and collaboration, and each of those people had a specific thing that they had control over.
So you really can give them notes on the day like “faster, more intense”?
You can. There were limitations of how fast or slow something could go, but we were really able to dial in what we were looking for on the day in terms of tone and emotion, or lack thereof, and really get it precise. But it was an ongoing collaboration throughout filming and certainly not something that stopped after the designs were completed.
What makes these old-school pizzerias of the ‘80s so creepy? I watched some old Showbiz Pizza commercials last night and they really are disturbing.
Big time. I think the animatronics are at the heart of what makes these spaces the most creepy. As a kid, I remember sitting very close to a stage before the curtains opened and one of the performances played. And I think I walked away more fearful of them than excited in that particular instance. There’s just a feeling that animatronics give you, and it’s so complicated. It’s terrifying underneath it all, but it’s also kind of wonderful and brilliant and magical. So the combination of all those things is so unique, and when these animatronics haven’t been cared for after many years, I feel a little bit of sadness in the imagery. There’s a part of me that wants to go tend to them. I don’t know how an inanimate object can evoke so many feelings and emotions, but man, animatronics certainly do.
Piper Rubio as Abby in Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
There are a lot of children’s drawings in the film. Did you recruit a bunch of kids from your neighborhood to go to town with a box of crayons?
Ding-ding! We definitely recruited a bunch of kids to do drawings, and that included [Abby actor] Piper Rubio. She did quite a bit. Some of the other kids that were in the movie, and some of the kids of the people who worked on the film, also did some drawings. So we did collect as many authentic kid drawings as possible, and then our art department stepped in, too. So it was a big collaboration, and there were a lot of drawings.
With the box office tracking increasing by the day, people keep commenting on how much Freddy’s could have made if it was a theatrical exclusive. I know that decision is beyond your control, but are you going to lose any sleep over what the film could’ve made without a streaming option?
I am just feeling so appreciative that people want to go to the theaters to see this movie, and what makes me so excited about that is that it’s the best way to view it. Of course, I would say that about any film in terms of being in a dark room with optimal visual and sound conditions, but whether you’re a fan or you know nothing about Freddy’s, to watch this one communally with fans, their energy and reaction to the film brings a whole other dimension to the movie-going experience. I also think it’s probably best enjoyed with some popcorn and soda. So I’m really, really hoping people go out to the theaters, and it seems like a lot of people are into that. In terms of streaming alongside it, we have that as an option as well for people who aren’t able to get to the theaters, and I hope it expands the access for people who have been waiting for it for so long.
And because the box office is looking quite healthy, are you open to coming back for Six Nights at Freddy’s?
(Laughs.) 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.
Decades from now, when your loved ones ask you about the making of Five Nights at Freddy’s, what day will you tell them about first?
At the very, very end of the shoot, we turned our aged, derelict pizzeria back into its pristine, heyday state for a flashback scene that we were filming. So we filled the whole set with a bunch of kids, and a lot of the kids belonged to the crew members and the puppeteers or someone involved in the production. It was incredible because I saw a bunch of miniature people who were the offspring of people that I was now very close with and fond of and so appreciative of for their work on this film. So it just felt like this big, bring-your-kid-to-work day, in addition to a bunch of amazing extras, and some of our crew got dressed up as extras in the scene as well.
So that was a really joyful end to what had been a really amazing shoot, and we were going out on such an exuberant and bold note by seeing the pizzeria come to life in a whole other way. So that energetic transformation from the abandoned ghost house was wild, and it really felt like a huge throwback to the ‘80s. Everything was nostalgic and fun, and that was the core of those types of family-themed restaurants. The arcade machines were working, the kids were in the ball pit, so that was definitely a highlight of the shoot, for sure.
[The rest of the interview contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.]
Matthew Lillard’s character recognizes Mike’s (Josh Hutcherson) last name without saying it, and he then becomes a lot more helpful in finding him employment. Well, now we know why, as he was the real owner of Freddy’s and he was purposefully employing the older brother of one of his victims, Garrett. Did he just want the twisted trophy of killing both brothers?
Ooh, to be honest, I think this is something that’s best left for fan speculation, because there’s a lot of room for interpretation with this one. That’s much more interesting than whatever my answer is going to be.
Matthew Lillard as Steve Raglan in Five Nights at Freddy’s
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Before and after the reveal, I did catch some Stu Macher/Scream vibes from Matthew. I recognized that familiar live wire that he plays so well. Did you encourage that? Or did he just know instinctively that this guy warranted a bit of the same crazed energy that Stu had?
Gosh, it feels like catching lightning in a bottle with Matthew because he just brings so much to the set and in the moment. And on that day in particular, we were just trying a bunch of different things for a bunch of different takes, and he was really coming alive in that [Yellow Rabbit] suit for the first time. Of course, we’d done some rehearsals with that suit, but it was a whole other deal once the camera was actually rolling in the properly lit pizzeria. So he was just going for it on every take and doing something different and really exploring in the moment. We just needed to make sure that we were there to capture it all. So, yes, there was definitely a back and forth between the two of us in terms of trying different things and really maximizing his menacing movement in that suit. But at the end of the day, he was just bringing all of his brilliance and improvisation to the table, and we were so lucky to be rolling on it.
When Lillard’s career counselor character stops short of saying Mike’s last name, I then noticed that Mike never said his last name the rest of the movie either. He would just say Mike. Is there a reason for that? Could you not clear the name?
Well, it is actually said at the end of the movie. Mike doesn’t say it, but the Yellow Rabbit [Lillard] does [out of frame]. So it is a little buried in there, but Mike’s name is eventually said in full.
Did the aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson) actually die? That would obviously be a big problem for Mike and Abby if the person challenging for custody of Abby wound up dead in their house. If she survived, it would still be a problem, although maybe she’d be so traumatized by what happened that she’d drop her claim and deceitful plan altogether.
We have some loose ends that I think are going to have to come back in a sequel to be tied up.
Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and Abby (Piper Rubio) in Five Nights at Freddy’s, directed by Emma Tammi.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Garrett’s ghost/body wasn’t in any of the animatronics, right? I suppose you would’ve had a moment between him and Mike if he was.
I feel like that could also be a nice thing for the fan base to mull over. I’d love to not shut down anyone’s theories.
*** Five Nights at Freddy’s is now playing in movie theaters and streaming on Peacock. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Universal and Blumhouse‘s Five Nights at Freddy’s is off to a historic start at the domestic box office, helping drive overall revenue
The latest horror offering from Universal and Blumhouse opened to a record-smashing $78 million, despite debuting simultaneously on sister streaming service Peacock. It started off with a monstrous Friday haul of $39.5 million, including $10.3 million in Thursday previews.
The pic — which came in notably ahead of industry expectations — scared up the third-biggest horror opening of all time behind New Line’s two It movies, as well as the best showing ever for Halloween weekend. It’s also the biggest horror opening of 2023 to date, besting Scream VI ($44.4 million), and the second-biggest opening of all time for a video-game adaptation behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146.3 million), not adjusted for inflation.
The news is just as good overseas, where Five Nights at Freddy’s opened to an estimated $52.6 million from 60 markets for a global start of $130.6 million against a modest $25 million production budget. It supplants New Line’s The Nun II ($88.1 million) to boast the year’s biggest worldwide start for a horror film.
Freddy’s passed up Halloween, which started off with $76.2 million in 2018, to mark the biggest domestic opening ever for Blumhouse, not adjusted for inflation. It is also Blumhouse’s top global launch. Other honorable mentions: Freddy’s supplants The Mummy Returns ($68.1 million) to rank as the top opening ever for a horror pic rated PG-13, not adjusted for inflation.
While most critics bashed Freddy’s, the audience graced the movie with an A- CinemaScore (it is rare for a horror pic to receive an A or any variation thereof).
Universal insiders say the decision to do a day-and-date release is a win-win for the overall ecosystem (only paid-tier Peacock subscribers have access). Those who want the communal experience of watching a horror movie in a theater can do so, while Peacock can woo much-needed subscribers. Streamers see notable growth in October because of Halloween-themed offerings.
Before the pandemic, most theaters would have outright refused to book a title already available in the home. The COVID-19 crisis changed everything, however, with the traditional 72- to 90-day theatrical window shrinking dramatically to as little as three weeks for films that open to less than $50 million. Day-and-date releases aren’t the norm, but no cinema operator was going to refuse to play Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Directed by Emma Tammi, Freddy‘s stars Josh Hutcherson as a washed-up security guard who has no choice but to take a crappy job safeguarding a long-shuttered family-themed pizza restaurant. The only problem — the pizzeria’s giant animatronic animal characters spring to life and go on murderous rampages. He’s also trying to maintain sole custody of his 10-year-old sister (Piper Rubio) and prevent her from falling into the clutches of their Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson).
Things go from bad to worse when a group of local toughs hired by Jane break into Freddy’s while Mike is off-duty to trash the joint so he’ll lose his job. Needless to say, the giant animatronic animals don’t like the intrusion and try to exact their revenge.
Kat Conner Sterling and Matthew Lillard also star. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created the animatronic characters.
Elsewhere, Taylor Swift and AMC Theatres’ Eras Tour achieved another huge milestone in singing past the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office, a first for a concert film. It earned another $14.7 million domestically to finish its third weekend with a North American cume of $149.3 million and $203 million globally (the pic only plays Thursday-Sunday).
Martin Scorsese‘s adult-skewing Killers of the Flower Moon came in third behind Freddy’s and Eras Tour with an estimated $9 million, a sharp decline of 61 percent. Apple Original Films produced and financed the $200 million film, with Paramount handling distribution duties. The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, is counting on being a slow burn as Oscar season unfolds, but the producers had hoped for a smaller drop in the film’s second weekend.
Killers of the Flower Moon earned another $14.1 million from 64 markets oversea for a foreign tally of $44 million and $88.6 million globally.
Angel Studios opened its first release since its indie film Sound of Freedom took the summer box office by storm. Its new faith-based movie, After Death, took in $5 million to come in No. 4.
Blumhouse and Universal’s The Exorcist: The Believer, which is now available on Premium VOD after a disappointing showing at the box office, rounded out the top five in its fourth weekend. The movie grossed $3.1 million for a domestic total of $61 million and $120.4 million globally.
The specialty box office saw two high-profile Oscar hopefuls enter the fray, Focus Features’ The Holdovers and A24’s Priscilla. The two films opened in several locations both in New York and Los Angeles, with each reporting a promising per-location average in the $33,000 range.
The Holdovers grossed $200,000 from six locations for a per-theater average of $33,333. Priscilla, launching in four cinemas, earned $132,139 for a location average of $33,035.
Oct. 29, 8:10 a.m.: Updated with revised weekend estimates.
This story was originally published at 7:55 a.m. Saturday.
Universal and Blumhouse‘s funhouse thriller “Five Nights at Freddy’s” slayed box office expectations with its scary-good $78 million North American debut.
Those ticket sales are especially impressive because the film landed simultaneously on Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. It’s the second-best opening weekend for a day-and-date streaming release, following Disney’s 2021 Marvel adventure “Black Widow” ($80 million) and the best ever for Universal and Peacock, beating the slasher sequels, 2021 “Halloween Kills” ($49 million) and 2022’s “Halloween Ends” ($40 million). “Five Nights at Freddy’s” also secured the second-biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation, behind only this year’s blockbuster “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146.3 million).
Heading into the weekend, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was expected to collect at least $50 million, which would have been a huge start for the genre. It now stands as the biggest horror debut of the year, surpassing the starts of more recognizable franchises like “Scream VI” ($44.4 million) and “The Nun II” ($32 million). Word of mouth may be buzzy enough to prevent the second-weekend slump that usually plagues horror movies. But even if ticket sales were to fall off a cliff, the $20 million-budgeted film is already a theatrical winner.
Based on the popular video game, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” stars Josh Hutcherson as a nighttime security guard at an abandoned Chuck E. Cheese-esque establishment, who discovers the animatronic mascots are prone to murder. Reviews are terrible (it has a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes), but that doesn’t matter because audiences have been digging the film, which has an “A-” CinemaScore.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” cracked the code on how to seamlessly bring the appealing elements of the characters and gameplay to the big screen,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “With a perfectly timed Halloween release date, it’s no wonder that ‘Five Nights’ has performed to this level.”
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” carved out another $52 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to a killer $130 million. It also ranks as the biggest global opening of the year for a horror film, ahead of “The Nun II” ($88.1 million globally), as well as Blumhouse’s biggest debut of all time, overtaking 2018’s “Halloween ($91.8 million globally).
“It’s so fun when it works. Thank you all so much for being patient with us on [“Five Nights at Freddy’s]. We wanted to get it just right for the fans,” Blumhouse founder Jason Blum wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “And it’s official. Biggest Blumhouse opening movie of all time.”
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” isn’t just a victory for Universal and Blumhouse. It’s a sizable boost for movie theaters, where it’s been light on the treats and heavy on the tricks as the SAG strike drags on. Scary movies have been especially well-positioned at the box office at a time when actors aren’t able to promote their projects.
“This type of release is unscathed by the strike. It doesn’t need red carpets or cast appearances and interviews,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “This is about great ad materials and social media.”
It’s been a less forgiving time for star-driven films like Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which dropped by a steep 61% in its second weekend of release. The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, came in third place with $9 million from 3,632 venues. This brings its domestic box office tally to $40.6 million.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” needs to have staying power to justify its massive $200 million price tag. Because of its nontraditional backers (Apple produced the movie and gave it the widest release ever for a film backed by a streaming service), “Flower Moon” doesn’t have as clear a metric of success compared to the average big-budget tentpole. Apple, which hired Paramount Pictures for distribution, places less emphasis on box office and views ticket sales as a way to bolster the film’s profile before it lands on streaming.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” again landed behind “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which added $14.7 million in its third weekend on the big screen. The concert film, which is being distributed by AMC Theatres and isn’t playing during the week, has generated $149.3 million in North America and $203 million globally to date.
Among specialty releases, A24’s “Priscilla” started strong with $132,139 from four screens ($33,035 per screen) in New York and Los Angeles. Directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, the movie follows the life of Priscilla Presley and her relationship with the King of Rock and Roll. “Priscilla,” a well-reviewed and very different take from Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 kaleidoscopic biopic “Elvis,” will expand nationwide on Nov. 3.
The top limited opening of the weekend, ever so slightly, belonged to Focus Features’ dramady “The Holdovers,” which earned $200,000 from six theaters ($33,333 per location). Alexander Payne directed the film, starring Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeonly prep school teacher who stays on campus with the students who can’t go home for Christmas break. It’s slowly increasing its footprint next weekend to approximately 60 theaters across the top 20 markets.
“As we have seen by the fantastic audience reaction this weekend and throughout the fall festival season, Alexander Payne continues to masterfully tell human stories that connect us,” said Focus’ President of distribution Lisa Bunnell. “The performance this weekend gives us confidence going into the film’s expansion ahead of the holiday season.”
Five Nights at Freddy‘s partied hard on its first night in theaters.
The latest horror offering from Universal and Blumhouse scared up a massive $10.3 million in Thursday previews at the domestic box office. That’s on par with New Line’s It: Chapter Two ($10.5 million), which debuted to a record $91 million in 2019, not adjusted for inflation. And it’s notably ahead of Blumhouse/Universal’s Halloween ($7.7 million), which also smashed records when opening to $76.2 million in 2018, as well as Halloween Kills ($4.9 million) and Halloween Ends ($5.4 million), not adjusted for inflation. It also trumped Jordan Peele’s Us ($7.4 million).
Freddy’s is tracking to open to $45 million to $50 million, a huge sum considering that the movie is being released simultaneously on Universal’s sister streaming service, Peacock (only paid-tier subscribers will have access). Others think it will do notably more, a premise backed up by the preview gross. But no one knows yet how front-loaded the film is.
Universal insiders say the decision to do a day-and-date release is a win-win for the overall ecosystem. Those who want the communal experience of watching a horror movie in a theater can do so, while Peacock can woo much-needed subscribers. (Apparently, streamers see notable growth in October because of Halloween-themed offerings.)
Before the pandemic, most theaters would have outright refused to book a title already available in the home. The COVID-19 crisis changed everything, however, with the traditional 72-to-90 day theatrical window shrinking dramatically to as early as three weeks for films that open to less than $50 million. Day-and-date releases aren’t the norm, but no cinema operator was going to refuse playing Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Directed by Emma Tammi, Freddy’s stars Josh Hutcherson as washed-up security guard who has no choice but to take a crappy job safeguarding a long-shuttered family-themed pizza restaurant. The only problem — the pizzeria’s giant animatronic animal characters spring to life and go on murderous rampages. He’s also trying to maintain sole custody of his 10-year-old sister (Piper Rubio) and prevent her from falling into the clutches of their aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson).
Things go from bad to worse when a group of local toughs hired by Aunt Jane break into Freddy’s while Mike is off-duty to trash the joint so he’ll lose his job. Needless to say, the giant animatronic animals don’t like the intrusion.
Kat Conner Sterling and Matthew Lillard also star. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created the animatronic characters.
“There has been perhaps no other category of film that has enjoyed the cinematic history, enduring popularity and box office consistency as the horror genre and this weekend will continue the tradition with Five Nights At Freddy’s set to scare up one of the best, if not the best horror debut of 2023,” says box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which only plays Thursday-Sunday, has grossed a record $132 million domestically and $46.8 million overseas. The movie is tipped to earn another $12 million to $15 million.
Martin Scorsese’s adult-skewing Killers of the Flower Moon hopes to enjoy a strong hold in its second weekend after opening to $23.2 million domestically. The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, should pull in $12 million.
We’re just days away from the big-screen adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s, the popular video game that inspired a legion of YouTubers to make videos in which they overreact to scary, funny, or shocking things.
Created by Scott Cawthon in 2014, Freddy’s is a relatively simple concept. Gamers control a security guard tasked with monitoring a rundown Chuck E. Cheese-like establishment filled with deadly robots. Players remain situated inside a security room for an entire evening and must utilize surveillance equipment to survive a series of attacks from said robots. Oh, and your power is limited. Rinse and repeat five times.
Good luck.
Freddy’s was so popular it inspired a slew of sequels, spinoffs, books, and now a major motion picture. Not too shabby for a game born out of failure. Cawthon started his career making Christian-based games and found little success. After critics poked fun at one of his characters for looking like a demented animatronic, Cawthon decided to try his hand at horror and created Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Now, we have an entire universe to study, packed with bizarre characters, an abundance of murder, and a surprisingly hefty amount of tragedy. So, in case you haven’t played the games but are eager to see the movie this weekend, I present a broad overview that should help you figure out what the hell is happening.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
As stated, the original game is relatively straightforward but littered with tiny details that hint at a much larger story. Gamers work inside a local known as Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and take direction from a mysterious “phone guy” who warns of the strange occurrences inside the restaurant.
Apparently, the animatronics inside the locale, namely Freddy Fazbear, Chica the Chicken, Foxy the Pirate, and Bonnie the Bunny, awaken at night and murder anyone dumb enough to linger in the wee hours. Initially, we are led to believe they mistake people for an endoskeleton — or an animatronic without its skin — and promptly try to fit them inside a suit with deadly results.
However, the lore goes much deeper and darker.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
In the sequel, players again assume command of a security post — this time as a man named Jeremy — and take on a group of nasty animatronics across five intense nights. However, a series of 8-bit mini-games sheds more light on the backstory.
Players meet a mysterious Purple Man in these games who murdered a bunch of kids at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in the 80s. An ongoing police investigation sheds light on an event known as the “Bite of ’87,” in which Freddy (the main animatronic) bit a child’s head. Players also learn that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 takes place in November of 1987, before the original game’s events. Plot twist!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
Jumping some 30 years in the future, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 reveals that the Purple Man is William Afton, a serial killer who uses his restaurant chain to capture and murder children. He would stuff their bodies inside animatronic suits, a tactic that prevented his arrest. However, the children’s spirits possessed the animatronics and now spend their nights searching for their murderer, often mistaking security guards and other adults for Afton.
Additional mini-games show that the spirits eventually trapped Afton and forced him inside a suit, where the faulty spring trap mechanisms eventually killed him. His corpse lingered inside the suit until it was discovered 30 years later and relocated to a horror-themed attraction known as Fazbear’s Fright.
Springtrap roams the grounds with a whole new slew of baddies and attacks the player, much like in the previous two games. A pair of endings hint that Fazbear’s Fright burned down, and the animatronic’s spirits were set free.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
This is where it gets really weird. In the third sequel, we follow a small boy who experiences weird occurrences inside his bedroom. Through a series of mini-games, we learn about an event known as “the party,” where a group of kids lifted the young boy inside Freddy’s mouth. His tears caused Freddy to malfunction, and his mouth clamped down on the boy’s head. His experiences inside his home are meant to reflect the final moments before his death. Clues tease that he’s actually at a hospital, receiving visits from his father and brother, the latter of which was among the boy’s tormentors.
Fans have tossed around some wild ideas about the older brother, naming him Michael Afton, son of William Afton, and connect the events of Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 to the infamous “Bite of ’87,” even though “The Party” is set in 1983. Some gamers even believe Michael might be the same guy as Mike Schmidt from the first game, but Cawthon hasn’t confirmed these theories.
Spin-offs
Following the fourth game, Cawthon released Sister Location, Pizzeria Simulator, and Security Breach. Each adds to the lore in a unique way. Still, the only thing you need to know is that Michael Afton teams up with Henry Emily (co-owner of Freddy’s restaurant chain) and burns down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, essentially killing the soul of William Afton and freeing the spirits of the trapped children. Further adventures see William return via a video game, but the franchise ends in the fire for me.
Many more details exist in the franchise, all worth exploring. The film will likely feature an abundance of Easter Eggs, which are always fun to discover. That said, the gist of the story is that a crazy man launched a restaurant chain and secretly murdered a bunch of children who then possessed some animatronics and sought revenge. Eventually, everyone dies, and that’s it.
Honestly, I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers, so I have no idea what the film is about. A direct adaptation? A sequel? A remake? We’ll find out this weekend, but hopefully, you’re a little more prepared for the film!
Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) is turning itself into more than a movie; it’s a multimedia event with merch and promotional tie-ins. One of the most sought-after pieces of merchandise? A Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria box. Here are four ways to get a Freddy Fazbear Pizza Box of your very own.
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas is also partnering with Five Nights at Freddy’s, allowing you to eat Freddy Fazbear Pizza while watching the FNAF movie. The boxes are only available at select locations while supplies last, so be sure to call your local Regal Cinema to reserve a box.
Blaze Pizza
As part of a weekend event for Friday the 13th, Blaze Pizza locations in Ontario, Canada partnered with FNAF, allowing customers to take away personalized pizzas in custom Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria Boxes. The event appears to still be ongoing, though only at the Ontario Blaze Pizza location(s).
Insomnia Cookies
If you prefer pizza cookies to pizza pies, Insomnia Cookies is also doing a collaboration where customers can get a massive pizza cookie to-go in a Freddy Fazbear pizza box. However, I have heard mixed reviews, as some customers are reporting that the box is just a sleeve that covers the original Insomnia Cookies box.
Etsy
If none of these options are available to you locally, GeekyRoo on Etsy has a downloadable print available for $2.49. If you want the physical box, you will have to find a vendor to physically print it out for you on cardboard. Alternatively, you can print the design on regular printer paper and tape or paste it onto a white pizza box.
Unconfirmed but very interesting!
Residents of Los Angeles have reported a pop-up Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria on 8301 Sunset Boulevard. However, the restaurant appears to not yet be open for business. If/when it does open, it will almost certainly have the pizza boxes available for guests to take home.
Kimberly Terasaki is a contributing writer for The Mary Sue. She has been writing articles for them since 2018, going on 5 years of working with this amazing team. Her interests include Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Horror, intersectional feminism, and fanfiction; some are interests she has held for decades, while others are more recent hobbies. She liked Ahsoka Tano before it was cool, will fight you about Rey being a “Mary Sue,” and is a Kamala Khan stan.
