Turn on the security cameras, because Freddy Fazbear is on the loose again. “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” one of 2023’s most unexpected box-office sensation, is getting a sequel from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse.
Jim Orr, Universal Pictures President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, announced the news on Wednesday, during the company’s CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas. No other news about the film — such as a release window, creative team, or cast — was unveiled.
The announcement comes six months after “Five Nights at Freddy’s” became a hit at the October box office, where it grossed $297.2 million on a mere $20 million budget. A sequel film was probably greenlit by Act 3 of the first one.
The success of the film, an adaptation of the viral indie horror video game franchise by Scott Cawthon, was especially impressive given Universal’s decision to release it simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock. The film heavily overperformed from initial projections, making $80 million in its opening weekend when it was initially expected to debut at $50 million. It finished its run as Blumhouse’s single highest-grossing film worldwide, surpassing the $278 million gross of “Split” in 2016, and the highest-grossing horror movie of 2023. Its success has been attributed to the franchise’s popularity with younger audiences and online.
Josh Hutcherson recently said he expected a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” sequel would be likely and that he was “dying to get back on set.” He even revealed that his “Hunger Games” co-star Jennifer Lawrence texted him when the film hit No. 1 at the box office the same weekend her film “No Hard Feelings” hit No. 1 on Netflix.
The original “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game was released in August 2014, and the franchise has since grown to encompass eight sequels and troves of spinoff material. Despite the title’s simple premise and gameplay — which puts players in the shoes of a night watchman at a closed-down kids’ pizza parlor who runs afoul of haunted animatronics — the original game went viral due to reaction videos of players encountering the game’s numerous jump scares, and the online notoriety helped the franchise to grow an extremely devoted and primarily Gen Z fanbase.
The first film went through many production delays before its release; it was originally set up at Warner Bros. Pictures in 2015, before Blumhouse picked up the film in 2017. After Chris Columbus was initially attached to the project, Emma Tammi ultimately directed the film, which starred Josh Hutcherson as main character Mike, and featured Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard in supporting roles. Tammi co-wrote the screenplay with Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback, based on a story by Cawthon, Chris Lee Hill, and Tyler MacIntyre. Cawthon and Jason Blum produced.
Despite its financial success, the first “Five Nights at Freddy’s” received largely negative reviews from critics; IndieWire gave the film a D, and it’s currently rated at 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It faired better with audiences, however, who gave it an A- Cinemascore.
