Box Office: 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Terrifies Audiences with $29.8 Million Debut After Thanksgiving Weekend

The animatronic stars of Freddy Fazbears Pizza returned to theaters, giving the post-Thanksgiving box office a notable lift. The PG-13 sequel, Five Nights at Freddys 2, from Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, based on Scott Cawthons popular horror game, premiered Friday in 3,412 North American theaters with an opening of $29.8 million. Analysts now project the film could reach $56.5 million domestically by Sunday, surpassing initial expectations of $35 million to $40 million for the opening weekend.

The first installment of Five Nights at Freddys debuted in 2023 to $80 million despite a simultaneous release on Peacock, eventually achieving $300 million globally. With a production budget of just $36 million, the sequel is poised to generate profit quickly for Universal and Blumhouse.

Returning stars Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, Elizabeth Lail, and Piper Rubio lead the cast as the story follows a former night guard at Freddy Fazbears Pizza facing deadly animatronic foes. Emma Tammi reprises her role as director, while Scott Cawthon returns as screenwriter. New cast additions include McKenna Grace, Teo Briones, and Freddy Carter.

In second place, Disneys Zootopia 2 earned $10.2 million on Friday. The animated follow-up sees Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde tackling a new mystery involving a reptilian character. By Sunday, it is projected to reach roughly $45 million, down about 55% from its $98 million opening the previous weekend. During the five-day Thanksgiving period, the film achieved $559 million worldwide, marking it as one of the largest global animated debuts ever.

Coming in third, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution premiered in 1,833 North American theaters with an estimated $4.9 million. The film adapts parts of the popular anime series for the big screen and is expected to reach slightly over $10 million domestically by Sunday.

Fourth place went to Wicked: For Good, which collected $4.5 million on Friday. Jon M. Chus continuation of the Oz saga is anticipated to bring in around $15.6 million this weekend, pushing its total domestic gross toward $295.8 million.

Rounding out the top five, Quentin Tarantinos extended cut Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, combining Volumes 1 and 2 into a four-and-a-half-hour epic, earned an estimated $1.4 million from 1,198 theaters. Its total domestic haul should reach about $3 million by the weekends close.

Author: Maya Henderson