Universal and Blumhouse’s film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” continues to dominate at the box office despite a significant decline in its second weekend. The spooky video game adaptation, which takes place in a haunted Chuck E. Cheese-esque establishment, earned $19.4 million, marking a 76% drop from its impressive $80 million opening weekend. However, the film has already generated a staggering $113 million in total, making it the highest-grossing horror film of the year.
Box office analysts attribute the decline in ticket sales to the simultaneous release of the film on the streaming service Peacock. While Peacock has fewer subscribers compared to competitors like Disney and Netflix, the day-and-date digital release is believed to have impacted the film’s performance. Despite this, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is still considered a commercial success, surpassing other horror films released this year, such as “The Nun II,” “M3GAN,” and “Scream VI.”
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, explains that an exclusive theatrical run typically generates higher box office numbers and builds anticipation for the streaming premiere. However, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” managed to stand out and perform well on both platforms.
In other box office news, new releases “What Happens Later” and “The Marsh King’s Daughter” failed to crack the top five. Meg Ryan’s romantic comedy debuted in 9th place with $1.5 million, while the psychological thriller starring Daisy Ridley opened in the 12th spot with a dismal $820,000.
Taylor Swift’s concert film “The Eras Tour” remained in second place, earning $13.5 million in its fourth weekend and reaching a total of $166 million in North America. The film has broken records as the highest-grossing concert film in domestic box office history.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” secured the third position, adding $7 million to its total earnings. The crime epic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, has generated $52 million domestically and $100 million globally after three weeks of release. Apple, which backed the film, believes that awards season attention and Apple TV+ exposure will justify its $200 million budget.
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic “Priscilla” earned a better-than-expected $5 million, placing fourth at the box office. The well-reviewed movie, distributed by A24, has expanded to 1,259 theaters and has generated a total of $5.3 million to date. The film is expected to continue expanding throughout the fall.
Overall, it was a relatively quiet weekend at the box office, with the total domestic earnings amounting to approximately $59 million, one of the lowest-grossing weekends of the year. However, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” remains a standout success story, continuing to attract audiences both in theaters and on streaming platforms.