Five Nights at Freddy‘s has blown away expectations with its box office success over the weekend and my opinion marks several significant wins for the art of cinema. With that said, I hated the movie. So what gives?
Without having played the FNaF games, I was hoping the movie would be my induction into this terrifying world. However, the finished product turned out to be something that contained maybe one jump scare that wasn’t even startling and frequently cut away from the creepy environment of the shadow-filled Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria in order to show off a snooze-fest of a dream sequence in broad daylight multiple times, as I explained in my review.
However, I admit the movie had an artistic vision that was competently put together, it just so happened that I didn’t particularly resonate with it. I can still respect FNaF from afar and put no shame on those who like it. After all, just like The Super Mario Bros. Movie from earlier this year, the gaming fanbase seems to generally love the movie even if the critics have dunked on it. That’s illustrated by FNaF‘s 29 percent “rotten” critical score on Rotten Tomatoes which contrasts sharply with its 89 percent audience score.
What’s more, the achievements FNaF has under its belt make me hopeful about the artistic integrity of the theatrical experience. Even though I didn’t particularly like the movie, its being a success means more movies with similar qualities (that are actually good) may get the shot they deserve. So to explain what I mean, here are the top five reasons Five Nights at Freddy’s is a win for cinema overall (in no particular order), even though I did not like it one bit.
FNaF has achieved the highest-grossing opening weekend for a horror film directed by a woman
As I explained in my review, Emma Tammi‘s direction is worthy of praise and it was the writing, lack of scares, and overall approach I took issue with. That said, it’s commendable that Tammi achieved the accolade of having the highest-grossing opening weekend for a horror film directed by a woman. I want there to be more representation of women in horror (and in Hollywood in general). If FNaF‘s success can open the door to more women directors being hired to helm major films, I see this as an absolute win.
FNaF‘s smaller budget proves there’s still room for diverse stories
2023 was a year marked by a number of would-be blockbusters flopping hard thanks in part to over-inflated budgets. Why did movies like Fast X, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One all have budgets approximately at or above the $300 million mark? You could blame it on any number of things, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, or even the hefty price tag of their stars.
The tendency for studios to heavily invest in only legacy franchises with out-of-control budgets makes it harder to make a profit and reduces diversity in storytelling. FNaF was made on a meager $20 million budget but has already netted north of $130 million at the worldwide box office in its opening weekend. FNaF could mean studios will become wiser about investing in a greater diversity of movie genres rather than sticking solely with action franchises and superhero movies (as much as we love them, too).
FNaF stayed true to the source material, paving the way for future video game movie successes
If there’s one thing that can be said about FNaF‘s success, it’s that staying true to the source material represents yet another win for video game fanatics. After all, despite not thinking The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a masterpiece I still enjoyed it, critics be damned. Therefore, I do feel empathy with FNaF fans everywhere who liked this film.
As a gamer myself, who happens to have never played FNaF, I absolutely revel in the idea of the film’s success ringing in more movies that stay true to the game. Gone are the dark ages of cinematic abominations like the live-action 1993 Super Mario Bros. and 1994’s Double Dragon which bore no resemblance to the games, pleasing absolutely no one. Suffice it to say, if this entire FNaF saga resulted in a games-accurate Metal Gear Solid movie down the line, I would be over the moon about that as a fan.
FNaF steered clear of an over-reliance on CGI
Another common thread in some of this year’s biggest box office flops is the over-reliance on CGI. Movies like Dial of Destiny and The Flash had human beings represented as melting wax figures of their former selves, with actors like Harrison Ford and Henry Cavill getting the uncanny valley treatment in the process.
Even though FNaF probably could’ve gotten away with rendering the various animatronics in CGI the filmmakers decided to go the practical route. Thanks to the help of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Freddy and company were brought to life with real animatronics, suits, and puppetry. If this type of commitment to material authenticity could be applied to bigger-budget superhero movies, the visual landscape of more fantastical tales would be much more tolerable than what we saw in many releases this year.
FNaF‘s success in theaters on a same-day streaming release is proof the exhibition format is not dead
During the first year of the pandemic, many movie theaters shut down due to social distancing regulations. Stocks for AMC initially plummeted during this time and movies like Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Widow were controversially released on streaming services on the same day as theaters. The pre-pandemic fears that streaming services would soon render the theatrical experience obsolete looked in danger of becoming reality.
However, if FNaF’s box office success in the face of having a same-day release on the streaming platform Peacock proves anything, it is that these fears are unwarranted. After all, the many moviegoers who saw FNaF over the weekend could have simply watched it at home. Even if they didn’t have a Peacock account at the time, it would’ve been easy enough and much cheaper to sign up for the streaming service’s $6 entry-level monthly plan just to watch this one film and then cancel it. The fact that so many people chose the in-theater experience is a sign that the exhibition format isn’t going anywhere in this post-pandemic world. That’s a good thing for cinephiles who insist watching movies on the biggest screen possible is a key ingredient to fully experiencing them the way filmmakers intended.
What’s more, FNaF‘s success may encourage other streaming services to attempt to release films in theaters when they otherwise wouldn’t. The flip side of the whole “streaming is the death of theatrical” argument is that companies like Netflix and others are leaving money on the table by not releasing their movies in theaters. After all, what better advertising is there for a streaming service than a hit film produced by them dominating at the box office?
FNaF is currently playing at a theater near you and streaming on Peacock.