With Five Nights at Freddy’s opening to a record breaking $80 million last week, $60 million more than its reported $20 million budget, any further box office dollars are really just icing on the cake. That is why this weekends drop, which looks to be near 80% for an estimated $17 million weekend, isn’t as bad of news as it sounds.
We always knew this PG13 rated video game adaptation was going to be front loaded as fans rushed to theaters to see a property they have enjoyed since its inception in 2014. Instead of the filmmakers trying to make a film that had mass appeal, they focused on those fans and by all accounts succeeded. That is why a second week drop off of this magnitude isn’t all that unexpected, we even predicted it in our Thursday predictions, although we thought it would be closer to the 70% mark than the 80% it is currently looking at. It is evident that the horrific reviews, including a 4/10 from our own Tyler Nichols, have told audiences that if you don’t know much about this franchise, this movie isn’t for you, and they are listening.
There is the debate over how much money was left on the table by releasing this film day and date on the streaming service Peacock where Blumhouse’s similarly released Halloween Kills also saw a massive second week decline. But in the case of Five Nights at Freddy’s it looks like this was a full on win win for the studio. Despite a second week drop off that would raise eyebrows on any other movie, this one made enough in its opening weekend to be considered a massive hit while also becoming the most watched piece of programming ever put on Peacock in just its first five days of release. This was that rare release where the day and date release actually helped boost both formats. I will say to the studios: don’t get too cocky, it worked once, chances are it won’t work twice! (Some may point out that Marvel’s Black Widow also saw an $80 million opening weekend while also being available on Disney+, but that isn’t an apples to apples comparison as that Disney+ debut wasn’t part of the service, you had to pay an extra $25 if you wanted to watch Black Widow. While the entire 2021 Warner Bros Catalog was released day and date with HBO Max, that release strategy remains an asterisk in box office history.)
Second place will again go to Taylor Swift as her Eras Tour movie adds another $11-$12 million while the expansion of the not Lisa Marie Presley endorsed Priscilla by Sofia Coppola is seeing a weekend in the $5 million range.
Do you have plans still to head to theaters this weekend? Or are you taking a week off before The Marvels hits screens next week? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back with us tomorrow when we have a full rundown on this weekends box office numbers.