‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ grossed $130 million worldwide

It didn’t really matter that “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming this weekend. Fans flocked to movie theaters across the country to see the terrifying video game adaptation on the big screen, which earned $78 million at the North American box office, the studio estimated Sunday.

Universal Pictures shipped the film to 3,675 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, betting it would be released on a specific date the weekend before Halloween, while also making it available to subscribers of Peacock, the subscription streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. The film was also released internationally in 64 markets, where it is expected to gross $52.6 million and reach a global launch of $130.6 million, the largest among horror films released this year.

“It was a phenomenal start,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, who praised Blumhouse, the filmmakers and the studio’s marketing department for the targeted campaign.

“Our marketing department remains one of the greatest superpowers we have at Universal,” he said.

Blumhouse, the company behind “Paranormal Activity,” “Get Out,” and recent popular horror movies like “M3GAN” and “The Black Phone,” is releasing “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” directed by Emma Tammi and starring Josh Hutcherson and Mary Stuart. He produced “. Masterson and Matthew Lillard. The popular video game series, in which a security guard must battle murderous animatronic characters at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a run-down family pizza restaurant, was created by Scott Cawthon and first released in 2014.

While the game’s fan base is strong and passionate, the film took many years to produce. In an interview with IGN earlier this year, producer Jason Blum said he was being made fun of for pursuing an adaptation.

“Everyone said we would never finish the movie, including people at my company,” Blum said. They made the film with a reported production budget of $20 million.

And it paid off: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” became his company’s biggest opening of all time, surpassing the domestic and international debut of “Halloween.” This is also Blumhouse’s 19th No. 1 debut, which Orr described as an “incredible achievement.”

The opening weekend audience was predominantly male (58%) and overwhelmingly young; an estimated 80% were under the age of 25 and 38% were between the ages of 13 and 17.

Although the numbers are not surprising for those who know the game’s audience, this is remarkable for a generation that does not make going to the cinema a priority.

“It’s great to bring this kind of audience to theaters,” Orr said.

Audiences gave the film an A-Cinema Score, which could be promising for future weekends as well.

“It’s a very young demographic,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “It won’t be lost on any of the other studios or video game manufacturers. “This door is wide open.”

It is also noteworthy that although it can be watched at home, many people choose theaters.

“In some cases, broadcasting can supplement and complement theater,” Dergarabedian said. “Obviously, audiences wanted that communal experience.

However, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” did not receive good reviews from critics. It currently sits at a dismal 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote that the film “must be considered one of the worst movies in any genre this year.” But like many other horror films, it seems impervious to criticism.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which ranked second, is expected to exceed $200 million in global grosses by the end of Sunday, with an increase of 14.7 million domestically and $6.7 million internationally this weekend. The concert film, distributed by AMC Theatres, is in its third weekend in theaters, opening Thursday through Sunday only, though it will have “special Halloween showing times” on Tuesday at a discounted price of $13.13.

In third place was Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which added $9 million in its second weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to $40.7 million, according to Paramount. With an additional $14.1 million from international screenings, the film’s global total is now over $88 million.

“After Death,” Angel Studios’ Christian documentary about people who have near-death experiences, opened in fourth place with $5.1 million from 2,645 locations.

And “The Exorcist: Believer” broke into the top five with $3.1 million in its fourth weekend, dropping its domestic earnings to $60 million.

Several high-profile films of the fall also had limited releases this weekend, including Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.” Both have opened exclusively in New York and Los Angeles and will expand in the coming weeks.

Focus Features’ “The Holdovers,” starring Paul Giamatti as a cranky ancient history teacher at a New England prep school, opened in six theaters and earned an estimated $200,000.

Coppola’s “Priscilla,” about Priscilla Presley’s life with Elvis, also opened on four screens in New York and Los Angeles, grossing an average of $33,035 per screen. The A24 film, starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, will expand nationwide next weekend with a total gross of $132,139.

“It was an eclectic and exciting weekend for moviegoers,” Dergarabedian said. “If you can’t find a movie to your liking, you’re not looking hard enough.”

Estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.

1. “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” $78 million.

2. “Taylor Swift: Eras Tour,” $14.7 million.

3. “The Killers of the Flower Moon” $9 million.

4. “After Death” $5.1 million.

5. “The Devil: The Believer,” $3.1 million.

6. “Paw Patrol: The Powerful Movie,” $2.2 million.

7. “Freelancer,” $2.1 million.

8. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (reissue), $2 million.

9. “I Saw X,” $1.7 million.

10. “The Creator,” $1 million.