Weekend Box Office 10/29 - Some Video Game Horror Movie For Kids Breaks Halloween Records

[AndyDursin]

Apparently the Peacock day-one stream for this movie didn't hurt its box-office at all, which means that phenomena isn't going to end (nor should it based on the meager movie offerings coming at audiences in 2024).

Also shows what an absolute bomb THE EXORCIST BELIEVER was, this is going to outgross it in basically 48 hours at the U.S. box-office.

SATURDAY AM: Refresh for more analysis and chart Universal/Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s is meeting the expectations of all those crazy projections that were out there. Since yesterday midday when we saw $68M, the Emma Tammi directed feature take of the videogame, which is also co-written by the game’s creator Scott Cawthon is looking at $78M weekend. Some have this movie at near Oppenheimer‘s opening ($82.4M), not that the movie will leg out to north of $300M in the end, but it’s fun to see how Universal in its marketing, literally repeated that type of moviegoer turnout again; another title here that’s harnessed the spirit of fans.

https://deadline.com/2023/10/box-office ... m=11471841

[Monterey Jack]

I was stunned when I saw there were FOURTEEN showtimes for Five Nights At Freddy's at my usual theater this weekend. I only know it's based on some videogame or whatever, but hey, the theaters could use the boost. Also proves how moronic Universal was for blowing $400 million to acquire the Exorcist "brand name", when there have been HUNDREDS of exorcism movies over the last fifty years (hell, we had The Pope's Exorcist like six months ago!). At least someone like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger is a marketable face (or lack of one) to hang marketing and merchandising on.

[BobaMike]

I'm not surprised....Five Nights At Freddys has been HUGE with kids for years now. It's flown under the radar for a lot of adults. But young kids who played it when it first came out are now teenagers/young adults, and they have been looking forward to this all year.

Tons of my 7 and 8th grade students have been very excited to see it.

[AndyDursin]

I can see it flying under the radar, because it seems to be a game with a very specific audience, it's not played by adults for the most part. $80 mil opening is fascinating since the Peacock stream didn't seem to hurt it at all. The kids that went wanted to see it with their friends -- which is great to know some form of socializing still exists in the world today beyond texting on phones. Good for them (and theater owners).

At the same time it's still disappointing that yet again the only way an audience really shows up for a movie today is a pre-existing IP -- a sequel, a video game adaptation, a Mattel doll, even Taylor Swift's concert movie is something where a "built-in audience" appears en masse to the movies. It's there and will support it, but it won't support anything else unless that audience is "associated" with it.