New horror film Five Nights at Freddy’s shot to the top of the North American box office this pre-Halloween weekend, taking in an estimated $78 million – a frighteningly good opening for a film also available via streaming.
Freddy’s take, reported by industry watcher Exhibitor Relations, made it an instant winner for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, which spent just $20 million to make the video game-based film – which is also streaming on Universal’s Peacock service.
Josh Hutcherson stars as a down-at-the-heels security guard working nights at an abandoned family entertainment center, where creepy animatronic characters spring murderously to life after dark.
Down a notch after leading the box office for two weeks was Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, at $14.7 million.
The film, chronicling three of the superstar’s concerts, has taken in $149.3 million in North America and $53 million abroad, making it the first concert film ever to pass the $200 million mark globally.
In third place, also down one spot from its debut last weekend, was Martin Scorsese’s history-based epic Killers of the Flower Moon, at $9 million. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone star in the dark story about the 1920s murders of Native Americans by evildoers coveting their oil wealth.
The faith-based documentary After Death, which looks at people’s near-death experiences, took in $5.1 million for Angel Studios. The film comes only months after the small Utah-based studio released its first big hit, Sound of Freedom, which has grossed more than $230 million.
In fifth, down two spots, was Universal’s horror film Exorcist: The Believer, at $3.1 million. Leslie Odom Jr. and Ann Dowd star in this sequel to the 1973 original.