Box Office: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Opens to Historic $56.6M, Tops Post-Thanksgiving Frame
Lead: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 opened this weekend with an estimated $56.6 million from 3,412 theaters domestically, delivering the largest opening ever for the post-Thanksgiving frame. The Blumhouse sequel bowed roughly two months after Black Phone 2 and leads the weekend despite mixed critical response and a 13% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Audiences gave the film a B CinemaScore and robust exit polling, and Friday receipts—including previews—totaled $30.1 million. Box office trackers show the debut sets several December and horror-opening records, though totals are not adjusted for inflation.
Key Takeaways
- Opening estimate: $56.6 million domestic from 3,412 theaters, the biggest post-Thanksgiving weekend opener on record (not inflation-adjusted).
- Friday performance: $30.1 million on Friday including preview screenings, signaling strong front-loaded demand.
- Critical vs. audience split: Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 13%, while audiences awarded a B CinemaScore and strong exit polling.
- Comparative milestones: Second-best domestic horror opening of 2025 so far behind The Conjuring: Last Rites; highest December horror opening ever, surpassing Scream 2.
- Franchise context: The first Five Nights at Freddy’s opened to about $80 million domestically in 2023 and went on to earn over $300 million worldwide.
- Other weekend movers: Zootopia 2 is estimated at $45 million from 4,000 sites; Wicked: For Good falls an estimated 75% in weekend three to $15.6 million.
- Special releases: Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t each project around $4 million, playing in 1,198 and 2,626 theaters respectively.
Background
Five Nights at Freddy’s began as a best-selling video-game franchise by Scott Cawthon; the 2023 feature adaptation became a major box-office success, taking in more than $300 million worldwide and proving the IP’s cinematic appeal. Blumhouse has been a consistent force in mid-budget horror, and the company’s output—paired with Universal’s distribution muscle—has repeatedly translated franchise recognition into ticket sales. Earlier in 2025 Blumhouse released Black Phone 2, and in 2024 Blumhouse merged with Atomic Monster, a consolidation that industry observers said could concentrate horror production and marketing resources.
The post-Thanksgiving frame historically produces lighter openings than late-November holiday weekends, making this weekend’s performance notable: studios often stagger major platformings to capture family or holiday audiences. The first Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) launched to roughly $80 million domestically, a different marketplace dynamic than this December debut, so direct comparisons should account for release timing and audience habits. PG-13 horror has also become more commercially viable, broadening potential ticket buyers relative to R-rated genre fare.
Main Event
The weekend estimate of $56.6 million comes from industry box-office trackers and reflects grosses through Sunday from 3,412 domestic locations. Universal and Blumhouse reported strong Friday demand—$30.1 million including previews—propelling Freddy 2 to the top of the weekend chart. The figure is not adjusted for inflation and therefore is compared to historical openings on a nominal basis.
Critics have been largely unfavorable: the sequel holds a 13% score on Rotten Tomatoes versus 33% for the first film. Still, audience measures indicate a different reaction. The film received a B on CinemaScore—uncommon for a horror title—and exit polling described audience response as solid, particularly among the franchise’s younger core demographic.
Beyond the weekend crown, Freddy 2 reportedly becomes the highest December horror opening domestically, eclipsing Scream 2, and ranks as the second-biggest horror opening of the year behind The Conjuring: Last Rites. It also claims the biggest opening so far in 2025 for a PG-13 horror film, ahead of entries such as Predator: Badlands.
Analysis & Implications
The sequel’s strong commercial start despite poor critical marks reinforces a frequent modern pattern: established IP and franchise recognition can overcome negative reviews at the box office. For studios, that makes brand development and marketing cadence—trailers, social campaigns, fan activations—central to opening weekend success. Blumhouse’s continued ability to mobilize audiences suggests the studio retains a reliable model for monetizing mid-budget horror properties.
Financially, a $56.6 million opening sets an advantageous baseline for domestic run potential, particularly if weekday holds remain steady and international revenue follows. The film will still need healthy second- and third-week holds to approach the first movie’s $80 million launch-level trajectory; marketing, word-of-mouth and international release windows will shape the remainder of its theatrical life. Merchandising and streaming windows will offer additional revenue layers once the theatrical window closes.
Industry consolidation—highlighted by Blumhouse’s 2024 merger with Atomic Monster—may produce strategic release calendars that leverage multiple horror IPs across seasons. If studios increasingly time horror tentpoles outside crowded summer/holiday frames, we could see continued fragmentation of opening benchmarks and new record categories, such as “post-Thanksgiving” or “December horror” openings.
Comparison & Data
| Title | Estimate (Domestic) | Theaters |
|---|---|---|
| Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 | $56.6M | 3,412 |
| Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) | $80M (opening) | — |
| Zootopia 2 | $45M | 4,000 |
| Wicked: For Good (wk 3) | $15.6M | 3,985 |
| Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution | $10M | 1,823 |
| Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair | ~$4M | 1,198 |
| Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | ~$4M | 2,626 |
This table summarizes weekend estimates and theater counts through Sunday. The data shows Freddy 2 leading a busy December frame while legacy titles and specialty reissues (e.g., Kill Bill compilation) fill multiplexes. Runtime and programming choices—such as Kill Bill’s 281-minute presentation and intermission—affect throughput and per-screen averages, which can depress grosses relative to screen count.
Reactions & Quotes
Industry observers highlighted the gap between critical reception and audience turnout, noting that franchise pull and effective marketing can blunt the effect of poor reviews.
“Strong exits and a B CinemaScore indicate that core fans are responding favorably at the box office.”
Exit polling / Audience surveys
Studio and distribution executives framed the result as validation of timed franchise releases and theatrical demand for event horror.
“This performance underlines how holiday-adjacent timing and franchise recognition can drive a powerful opening weekend.”
Studio distribution executive (summary)
Analysts cautioned that weekend estimates remain preliminary and that final Sunday counts and holiday hold patterns will clarify the film’s trajectory.
“Preliminary numbers look strong, but true momentum will depend on weekday holds and international rollouts.”
Box office analyst (summary)
Unconfirmed
- Final weekend totals: Sunday-adjusted grosses and final tallies from box-office firms could shift by several hundred thousand to a few million dollars.
- Ranking nuances: Claims about “second-best horror opening of the year” and some record labels depend on which titles and territories are included and may be revised as firms finalize numbers.
- International performance: early domestic strength does not guarantee equivalent results overseas; final global tallies remain to be reported.
Bottom Line
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’s estimated $56.6 million opening cements Blumhouse’s continued commercial relevance and underscores the power of franchise recognition in horror. The debut rewrites some seasonal benchmarks—most notably the post-Thanksgiving and December horror opening records—while also highlighting the persistent divide between critical reception and audience behavior.
Looking ahead, the film’s longer-term success will hinge on weekday holds, international box office, and ancillary revenue streams such as streaming and merchandise. For studios, the weekend reinforces a playbook: known IP, targeted marketing, and strategic release timing can produce outsized openings even when critical reviews are unfavorable.
Sources
- The Hollywood Reporter (entertainment trade / industry report)
- Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)
- CinemaScore (audience polling service)