In the entire history of the live-action video game genre stretching back 30 years, only four movies have ever wound up above the 60 percent barrier required to avoid being bestowed with a “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so the odds were stacked against Five Nights at Freddy’s from the beginning.
It was clear from the second the critical reactions started pouring in that the console-to-screen terror would be welcomed with open arms by its target audience, and it’s lived up to that notion by becoming the medium’s latest panned addition to generate rave responses from audiences.
At the time of writing, Five Nights at Freddy’s holds a dire 25 percent approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, but a majestic 89 percent user average. Blumhouse boss Jason Blum is grateful for that fact as he shared on social media, and he’ll be even more thrilled when Sunday comes and the film decimates countless box office records.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is currently on course for a jaw-dropping opening weekend of around $68 million, blowing Halloween Ends and Halloween Kills out of the water as Universal and Peacock’s biggest-ever opening for a title that’s premiered day-and-date on streaming, but that’s just the beginning.
It’ll become the second top-earning debut for a hybrid release behind only the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Widow, as well as notching 2023’s best bow for a horror movie, the third-biggest for any video game property behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Blumhouse’s second-highest opening of all-time after 2018’s Halloween, and the most lucrative first frame for any Halloween weekend arrival ahead of Puss in Boots.
Stating the obvious it may be, but evidently nobody gives a damn what critics think about Five Nights at Freddy’s.