The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie will once again top the charts during a rough weekend at the box office due to the absence of Dune 2. Denis Villeneuve’s second Dune adaptation should have hit theaters this weekend if not for delays caused by the various strikes hitting the Hollywood film industry throughout 2023. Collectively, all films at the box office will earn just over $58 million for the third-smallest overall weekend gross at the box office in 2023. The Blumhouse-produced Five Nights at Freddy’s video game franchise adaptation will win its second box office weekend with a haul estimated at $19 million, a 76% dropoff from its record-setting opening weekend, which brings its running total to $113 million. The , where it also set records for NBCUniversal’s streaming platform.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie’s success comes despite the film receiving a negative reaction from critics. ComicBook.com’s Megan Peters awarded the movie only 2.5 stars out of a possible 5 in her review. She writes:
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“Since the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s nearly a decade ago, the franchise has become a giant with horror lovers. This means expectations for its movie adaptation were high, and sadly, Five Nights at Freddy’s did not meet them. The film’s sanitized scares strips the franchise of its legendary tension. When paired with its muddled story, the only thing that kept Five Nights at Freddy’s afloat for me was its filmography and Easter eggs. Even with its flaws, the film will likely impress young fans who’ve yet to develop a tolerance for horror. But, as for older fans, well – they will have no problem surviving their visit to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.”
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will remain in second place for another weekend. Exhibitors are likely hoping that next week’s release of Marvel Studios’ The Marvels will help bring audiences back to theaters, and it’ll certainly help, but the tracking is suggesting it’ll be one of the MCU’s more muted debuts. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.
1. Five Night’s at Freddy’s
- Week Two
- Weekend: $19 million
- Total: $113.6 million
A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
Emma Tammi directed Five Nights at Freddy’s from a screenplay she co-wrote with Seth Cuddeback and Scott Cawthon, based on the Cawthon’s Five Nights at Freddy’s video game series. The movie stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard.
2. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
- Week Three
- Weekend: $13.5 million
- Total: $166 million
The cultural phenomenon continues as pop icon Taylor Swift performs hit songs in a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience.
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
- Week Three
- Weekend: $7 million
- Total: $52.3 million
In the 1920s, members of the Osage Native American tribe of Osage County, Oklahoma, are murdered after oil is found on their land, and the FBI decides to investigate.
Martin Scorsese directed Killers of the Flower Moon and co-wrote its screenplay with Eric Roth, based upon David Grann’s 2017 book of the same name. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser.
4. Priscilla
- Week Two
- Weekend: $5.08 million
- Total: $5.3 million
When teenager Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who’s already a meteoric rock ‘n’ roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, and a gentle best friend.
Sofia Coppola directed Priscilla, which is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me. The films tars Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, and Dagmara Domińczyk.
5. Radical
- Opening Weekend
- Total: $2.73 million
Sixth grade students at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary are among the worst performing students in Mexico, with their world one of violence and hardship, not possibility. It might seem like a dead end, but it’s the perfect place for new teacher Sergio Juarez to try something different.
Christopher Zalla wrote and directed Radical, based on the Joshua Davis’ article “A Radical Way of Unleashing a Generation of Geniuses,” which appeared in a 2013 issue of Wired magazine.
6. The Exorcist: Believer
- Week Five
- Weekend: $2.15 million
- Total: $63.1 million
When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before.
David Gordon Green directed The Exorcist: Believer and co-wrote its screenplay with Peter Sattler, based on a story he developed with Scott Teems and Danny McBride. It stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn, and Linda Blair.
7. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie
- Week SIx
- Weekend: $1.97 million
- Total: $62 million
The PAW Patrol pups magically gain superpowers after a meteor strikes Adventure City. However, things take a turn for the worse when Humdinger and a mad scientist steal their powers and turn themselves into supervillains. As the team springs into action to save the city, Skye soon learns that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.
Cal Brunker directed PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen. The film’s voice cast includes Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, North West, Saint West, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and Finn Lee-Epp.
8. After Death
- Week Two
- Weekend: $1.96 million
- Total: $8.96 million
Scientists, authors and survivors of near-death experiences discuss the spiritual and scientific dimensions of mortality and the afterlife.
Stephen Gray and Chris Radtke wrote and directed After Death. Angel Studios distributed the documentary.
9. What Happens Later
- Opening Weekend
- Total: $4.2 million
Snowed-in at a regional airport overnight, ex-lovers Willa and Bill realize they’re still attracted to each other — but also still equally annoyed with each other. As they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is a mere coincidence or something more enchanted.
Meg Ryan directed What Happens Later from a screenplay she co-wrote with Steven Dietz and Kirk Lynn. The film Ryan and David Duchovny.
10. Freelance
- Week Two
- Weekend: $1.24 million
- Total: $4.2 million
Stuck in a dead-end desk job, former special forces operative Mason Pettis reluctantly takes on a freelance gig to provide private security for a washed-up journalist as she interviews a ruthless dictator. When a military coup breaks out just as she’s about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle and one another to make it out alive.
Pierre Morel directed Freelance from a screenplay by Jacob Lentz. The film stars John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, and Christian Slater.
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