FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S EYES $7 MILLION IN THURSDAY PREVIEWS – DEADLINE

Patty Perrett / © Universal Pictures

Exclusive: “We might have a hit on our hands,” said one person close to the production of the Universal/Blumhouse video game feature. Five nights at freddy’stoday. And while the film, which opens in theaters today and on screens today at 2pm and on Peacock at 6pm, is expected to make around $50 million, there are some crazy expectations ranging from $55 million to $90 million. Everyone calm down, and let’s let this awesome, millennial-branded intellectual property in the swampy oasis of the actors’ strike emerge.

Tonight, box office sources tell us Thursday previews will start north 7 million dollars But be warned, it’s “very front-loaded.” Universal did not respond to a request for comment on our predictions, so they always mark them with an asterisk. Although this one is only intended for an under 25 audience, see other previews that scored similar amounts, for example: ant Man ($6.4 million preview, $57.2 million opening), Aladdin ($7 million, $91.5 million), F9 ($7.1 million, $70 million) and twilight ($7.5 million, $69.6 million). But hey, we should compare this to other Universal/Peacock days and dates, right? Good, Freddy French fries comp Halloween kills ($4.85 million previews, $49.4 million) and The end of Halloween ($5.4 million preview, $40 million opening).

Critics have given the Emma Tammy-directed film a rotten 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, but those going don’t care how the reviews read. Last night at the Burbank, CA AMC preview I attended, the fans were so happy, it reminded me of the time I first saw him twilight With a crazy crowd in what is now the AMC Grove. Fans have been cheering for the emergence of YouTube influencers (people known for gaming and theorizing about… Five nights at freddy’s Games) in the film, as well as “oohhh” and “aaah” in plot twists and character appearances, and even a fan-made ending theme song by musical artist The Living Tombstone. If you weren’t dressed last night, well, you were a square. Get a huge selection of wake ups above and below.

Wait, wouldn’t a lot of people want to stay home and watch this? Maybe, and we’ll be assessing Peacock’s box office impact later this weekend, but what’s abundantly clear here is that the under-25 group wants to see this movie together, not in everyday clothes.

Freddy‘s is booked at about 3,500 locations this weekend including Imax and PLFs. Apple Original Movies and Paramount Flower killers moon It is expected to reach approximately $12 million, while AMC is distributed Taylor Swift: Tour for the Ages is continuing to croon to about $13 million. More details tomorrow morning.

CinemaScore was polling when we went last night; It will be interesting to see how this comes out.