Freddy’s 2 Falls 40% From the Original — and Still Fuels a Stronger Than Expected Weekend
Down roughly 40 percent and at least $30 million from the original’s debut, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 still scares up one of Blumhouse’s biggest opening weekends.
Quick pulse check on theaters: while everyone is buzzing about that proposed Warner Bros./Netflix merger (still a long way from actually happening), the post-Thanksgiving box office is doing better than it usually does. This frame is usually a nap. Not this time.
Freddy's 2 muscles past the bad buzz
Blumhouse's 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' is ignoring a pile of rough reviews (including ours) and is headed for a strong $45-47 million opening, per Deadline's estimates. That makes it one of the bigger launches in Blumhouse history, even if it's still a steep 40% drop from the first movie's $80 million opening back in 2023. Worth noting: the original opened day-and-date on streaming; the sequel is theatrical-only.
Also worth noting: this is about $10 million higher than I expected earlier this week. Not bad for a sequel everyone was side-eyeing.
Given Blumhouse's year, they're probably exhaling. Aside from 'The Black Phone 2,' their 2025 slate has been rough — 'Wolf Man' and 'M3GAN 2.0' were both pricey misfires. Because 'Freddy's 2' was kept relatively cheap, it should still spit out a healthy profit. The one catch: it may not win the weekend. Disney's 'Zootopia 2' is on track for around $45 million as well, and those family matinees could give it the edge.
Anime and a blood-soaked blast from the past
Anime continues to punch above its weight. 'Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution' is looking at an $8-10 million weekend, even though our critic thought the movie barely made sense. Meanwhile, 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' — the marathon cut — is limited to two showtimes a day at most locations because of its length, and it's still on pace for $4 million across just 1,100 screens. Studios can clearly smell money in these short-window re-releases, so expect more of them.
- 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' (theatrical-only): $45-47M opening; down 40% from the first film's $80M 2023 day-and-date debut
- 'Zootopia 2': around $45M; family matinees could tip it to No. 1
- 'Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution': $8-10M
- 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair': about $4M on 1,100 screens, limited to two showings a day
I'll circle back tomorrow with the full box-office rundown. What are you seeing this weekend?