Five Nights at Freddy's Becomes Peacock's Most-Watched Movie of All Time
November 01, 2023
After a record-setting box office debut this past weekend, the Five Nights at Freddy's movie has one more milestone up its animatronic sleeve. The long-awaited video game adaptation is now the most-watched entertainment Peacock title (film or TV series) of all time in the first five days of its release, the NBCUniversal streaming platform announced. Previous record-holders include: Halloween Ends, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bel-Air, and The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
As far as ticket sales go, Five Nights at Freddy's became the largest Blumhouse opener ever with $80 million domestically and $52.6 million internationally for a worldwide introduction of $132.6 million. For those of you keeping track at home, that's the second-largest debut for any game-to-screen translation after The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146.362 million).
"I’m not going to pretend to understand all of the reasons why these characters and stories have connected with people over the years" FNAF creator Scott Cawthon — who helped write and produce the film — states in the production notes released by Universal Pictures. "I just know that it’s my job to honor that and try not to screw it up!"
"The games are horrifying, fun and engaging, and they have a built-in community where people of all ages across the world can come together and share in something bigger than themselves," adds fellow producer Jason Blum.
Emma Tammi (who shares screenplay credit alongside Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback) directed the movie, which stars Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, a strapped-for-cash security guard tasked with overseeing a defunct pizza parlor/arcade. The place went bust in the 1980s following the disappearance of several children, whose spirits now haunt musical animatronics. And if Mike isn't careful, his 10-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), will become the latest member of the supernatural band.
The cast also features the acting talents of Elizabeth Lail (Vanessa, a local cop with knowledge of the pizza parlor's sordid past), Mary Stuart Masterson (Mike and Abby's money-hungry Aunt Jane), Kat Conner Sterling (Abby's two-timing babysitter, Max), and Matthew Lillard (suspicious career counselor, Steve Raglan).
Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman, and Christopher H. Warner were executive producers on the project.
Five Nights at Freddy's is now playing in theaters — click here for tickets! — and available to stream on Peacock.