Five Nights At Freddy’s video game creator Scott Cawthon has released a lengthy statement to thank everyone for supporting the new movie. Cawthon started the franchise in 2021 with a small horror survival game that shares the same name as the movie. In total, there are 13 games and 28 books that make up the Five Nights At Freddy’s lore, leading to a multi-generational fan base. The release of the movie has led to Blumhouse’s biggest opening weekend, as well as the biggest opening weekend for a horror movie directed by a woman.
Cawthon took to Reddit to relay his experiences of going to multiple theaters to take in audience reactions to Five Nights at Freddy’s firsthand.
He spoke about going “incognito” to not be recognized by anyone, though he was still noticed by a fan who sat next to him. Cawthon went to multiple screenings and shared his full experience, which can be read down below:
Hey everyone, I thought I’d share a few of my experiences from opening weekend. If you will remember, I planned to go incognito with my glasses (and a beard), and sit in on several showings. No one recognized me, as expected, but I did have some funny encounters.
On Thursday I went to the very first showing at 2PM; not many people were there. But just before the movie started a teenage boyfriend and girlfriend walked in; the girlfriend was dressed as Toy Chica, and they sat right next to me. She was obviously a super-fan (him not so much), and I heard her say as she walked in, “What if Scott Cawthon was in here?” A few seconds later after they sat down, I heard her whisper, “That kind of looks like Scott Cawthon.”, gesturing to me. He glanced over at me then whispered back to her, “Dear, he’s old.” To that I say- Two things can be true at the same time.
Later that day I went to another showing, and five super-fans all came and sat right next to me. I say they were super-fans because they were all dressed up. They sat next to me, talking to each other for a few minutes, then they all casually stood up, scooted a few seats away from me, and sat back down. I swear I put on deodorant… maybe not enough?
Friday evening’s showing was the best. It was a packed crowd and I got to hear everyone cheer and clap. That was a lot of fun. I got up to go to the restroom at one point and I walked past a group of teenagers in the front row. One of them said “Hey, Dad.” Not my son, obviously, but I did reply- “Hey son.” So somewhere out there I have a new honorary son.
I went to another showing Saturday evening. I wore a Security Breach t-shirt. I was standing in line behind a young woman in a Freddy hat waiting for popcorn and drinks, and she turned and looked at me and just said, “I like the shirt!” That made my night.
Anyway, thanks everyone for making opening weekend such a big success. It was beyond my wildest dreams. I do read the comments and critiques, so while I’m glad most people had a great time at the movies, I’m definitely paying attention, and I wanted you all to know that.
Will There Be A Five Nights At Freddy’s Sequel?
Early reviews panned Five Nights at Freddy’s, with the movie sitting at a 30% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, the audience score sits at a healthy 88%. In recent times there has been a trend of division when it comes to these two scores regarding popular titles. Notably, The Super Mario Bros. Movie faced a similar experience but still found great success, even going on to be the first billion-dollar movie of the year.
Regardless of what critics say, financial success is often what truly determines the fate of a movie, and the Five Nights at Freddy’s box office is a winner. It’s hard to imagine, with this being Blumhouse’s biggest opening weekend, that the production company would back out of making a sequel. Star Matthew Lillard has already confirmed that he signed a three-picture deal for the franchise, so another movie is almost certain. This, coupled with Cawthon’s sign-off in his post about taking the criticism into consideration, could lead one to believe that he may already be considering ideas for the next script.
No official word has been given by Blumhouse or Universal Pictures in regard to a Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, but director Emma Tammi did say she would be open to returning “if this one does well.” With the writers strike over and the SAG-AFTRA strike seemingly inching to an end, Hollywood is slowly returning to business as usual. With Five Nights At Freddy’s having numbers like this, there is little doubt the franchise will return to the big screen in the future.
