Blumhouse’s Five Nights At Freddy’s gambit paid off
Director Emma Tammi unlocked the key to the spooky video game adaptation's huge box office success
Aux News Five Nights at Freddy's
Five Nights At Freddy’s made a frightfully good showing at last weekend’s box office, pulling in $78 million—enough to unseat both Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Killers Of The Flower Moon. This massive (and somewhat unexpected) success was enough to log the spooky video game adaptation in the history books as not just the highest-grossing opening weekend in producing studio Blumhouse’s history, but also the highest-grossing film in the history of Halloween weekends ever. This feat is especially impressive considering the team behind it knew they might be alienating non-game-players from the start.
“Hollywood often makes this mistake while adapting a popular book or game. They want to satisfy old-timers and a new audience, and there’s always that pressure,” Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said of the film’s genesis at his New York Comic Con panel earlier this month, joking that “Universal really won’t like that I’m saying this.” (We’re sure any trouble he might have found himself in evaporated the second the box office opened.)
While the original 2014 game achieved rapid cult success, Blum said the movie took eight years to get right. The key, according to him, came from director Emma Tammi. “What became clear while developing this is to do it for true fans. If new people get introduced to it in the process, that’s fine,” he said. “What Emma did so well and what we figured out is that we need to make a movie for fans and not try to please everyone.”
Those fans responded in kind. Attention to detail obviously isn’t the only reason audiences flocked to the theater (despite a concurrent Peacock release) this past weekend. The film’s PG-13 rating definitely served to widen its appeal and the fact that this was the only spooky movie opening on this year’s Halloweekend didn’t hurt.
But there’s something to be said for creating a piece of art specifically for a pre-existing and very passionate fanbase. That strategy worked immensely for HBO’s The Last Of Us, which found a way to remain accessible to video game newbies while still containing an incredible amount of detail for longtime fans of the franchise. We’ll see if it continues to pay off in future video game adaptations, or grand fandom redos like Percy Jackson And The Olympians.
20 Comments
I prefer the grittier version, Knife Fights at Freddy’s.
Ugh, this just made me think of this emo band at my high school that called themselves “Late Nights and Knife Fights”. Guys, we live in a small rural town with basically no crime, especially violent crime. Nate (the “singer”), your dad is the civics teacher here and I know from your brother that you have a strict curfew. Tom (the bassist), you’re president of the Honor Society. It would be a dumb name anyway, but that stuff made it so much dumber.
Man, if you insist that a band’s background be authentic to its music, I have some bad news for you about the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
In a horrifying twist, it turns out Brandon Flowers has more than earned his band their name of The Killers.
He’s an inspiration for my band, The Got-Away-With-Its-And-You’ll-Never-Get-A-Conviction-Pigs-Oink-Oink
Jesus, what a sad and pathetic thing to read.
Wow, a civics teacher? Didn’t this guy know you can’t be into punk music if one of your parents is a teacher?!??!?!?Also, Late Nights and Knife Fights is an excellent name.You’re pretty pathetic though, if that helps.
I really, really disliked the actions of the lead character in this film. I get that he has a valid reason to sleep often but immediately does so as soon as his shift starts. I mean, he does it right after he not only takes a serious wound because of it, but is specifically told to stay awake during his shift by the cop who patches him up. .
It was great to hear The Living Tombstone’s FNAF theme during the end credits though.
I kinda feel like Willy’s Wonderland pulled off the horror angle better. FNAF just has actual mass market appeal and is PG-13 enough to get a bigger audience even if Disney’s Haunted Mansion is scarier.
Yeah, there were plot holes so large you could drive a truck through them. Also, Josh Hutcherson is 31, and he has an 8- or 9-year-old sister? Why not just make it his daughter?
I guess because Hutcherson still looks like he could be 20.
A younger protagonist plays better to the target audience.
Because he isn’t playing himself?
The Living TombstoneWow, I haven’t seen that nom de plume in nearly a decade; I’m glad to learn that they’re doing pretty well for themselves.
I first heard of them from their Hazbin Hotel-inspired music like 2-3 years ago now. Didn’t know they were around so long.
Just in general a plot requiring the main character to sleep for most of his story arc, instead of being proactive, isn’t the best way to go, imo
The “key” being having a popular, critic proof franchise, producing it on a shoestring budget, and then releasing it against virtually no competition.
I’m honestly stunned. I mean I know FNAF has a fanbase but I thought it was such a product of its time that it would be too dated by now to be a success, like dragging up an old meme. Then again I guess Angry Birds got 2 movies so maybe I should have expected this.
Well, it is what it is. A kids horror movie. I would’ve preferred something much more intense, but there’s plenty of films available now and coming out that will deliver. I wouldn’t even say it’s worthy of being PG-13. Monster Squad, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Willow, and the movie Witches is more intense for a PG-13 rating. But, from other commenters on other sites, it definitely is something for parents to take their kids to enjoy. So, good for all those involved to make a kids Goosebumps/Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark horror movie. And other adults like it enough for a one time entertainment deal.It also is bringing back Willy’s Wonderland into the conversation. That movie alone is bad, but a fun level of bad thanks to Nic Cage. Before Five Nights came out, it was also forgettable. But now with the success of Five Nights, it’s getting renewed attention, and even more love. So I wonder if there will be articles popping up saying Willy’s Wonderland is topping the streaming charts again? If there’s a chance for a sequel, or if Nic Cage’s The Janitor would be in the Five Nights sequel?
Great. More money for Scott Cawthon to donate to Republicans.
“Blumhouse’s Five Nights At Freddy’s gambit paid off”What’s the “gambit”? Continuing their decade-long trend of releasing inexpensive, appealing genre fare during the Halloween season?
Yeah. That was a real gambit.