“Five Nights at Freddy’s” opened to a record-breaking $80 million last weekend, this on a reported $20 million budget. It was a smashing success for Blumhouse and Universal.
However, it has now completely plummeted. The second weekend drop looks to be near 80% for an estimated 3-day total of $17 million. The movie was clearly front loaded. Did bad reviews play a part in this massive drop? Maybe.
It doesn’t help that it’s been available to stream on Peacock for two weeks now, and has also leaked in all of the illegal download sites. You do have to wonder how much money was left on the table in Universal’s decision to make this a day and date Peacock movie.
However … it did become the most watched movie or TV show in the streamer’s history. Peacock gained some much-needed brand recognition and the film’s producers have earned a major surplus in their investment. It’s a win-win for all.
Is “The Exorcist” truly the greatest horror film ever made, or has time crowned a new champion of fear? Maybe it’s “The Shining,” ‘Texas Chainsaw,’ “Psycho,” or something entirely unexpected that still keeps you up at night.