"Seemingly immune to widely negative reviews, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" notched the biggest opening ever for the weekend after Thanksgiving, which usually is a more muted buffet of leftovers. It's also the biggest opening of the year for a PG-13 rated movie and the second biggest horror opening, behind "The Conjuring: Last Rites." The movies and the game are about a family restaurant, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, whose anthropomorphic robots turn murderous at night."
"The first film, also a Blumhouse production, was a surprise hit two years ago. It opened to $80 million in October 2023, despite also being available to stream on Peacock. Universal decided to open the sequel exclusively in theaters. With a reported production price tag of only $36 million, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" is on its way to being another smash."
"The sequel, written by the game's creator Scott Cawthon, saw the return of cast members like Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard and Elizabeth Lail as well as director Emma Tammi. Reviews were dismal, even worse than the first. Mark Kennedy, in his zero star review for The Associated Press, called it an "incoherent mess." But horror fans have been known to turn out for opening weekends regardless of reviews."
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opened in 3,412 theaters across the U.S. and Canada and earned an estimated $63 million, far exceeding expectations. The sequel delivered the largest post-Thanksgiving weekend opening ever, the biggest PG-13 opening of the year, and the second-largest horror opening behind The Conjuring: Last Rites. Universal released the sequel exclusively in theaters after the first film's surprise $80 million opening in 2023, which had also been available to stream. With a reported $36 million production budget, the sequel is positioned for strong profitability, driven by enthusiastic horror audiences.
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