'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' SHOCKS Box Office! 'Zootopia 2' Dethroned?!

Well, folks, it looks like the animatronics are back and scarier than ever. Universal/Blumhouse's *Five Nights at Freddy's 2* is absolutely dominating the post-Thanksgiving box office, and I have to admit, I didn't see this coming. We're talking a projected No. 1 debut of $45 million to $47 million across 3,412 theaters. That's not just a win; it's a record-shattering victory lap, setting a new high for the highest-grossing opening weekend in December. Who knew killer robots could be such a draw?

'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' SHOCKS Box Office! 'Zo...

The film pulled in a hefty $24.5 million on Friday, including those all-important preview screenings. That's enough to dethrone *The Last Samurai* (remember that one?) which held the post-Thanksgiving record with a $24.2 million debut back in 2003. It even looks like Freddy's is going to outpace *Frozen II*'s $35.1 million from the same period, which, let's be honest, is pretty impressive considering *Frozen II* had already been out for a couple of weeks.

And speaking of being dethroned, *Five Nights at Freddy's 2* is definitely overshadowing *Zootopia 2*, which was riding high just last week. Zootopia is now expected to snag around $10 million today, bringing its weekend total to about $45 million at 4,000 locations. It's a solid number, sure, but represents about a 55% drop off in attendance. But hey, at least it's projected to hit $222.4 million cumulatively by Sunday night. Silver linings, people, silver linings.

What's really exciting is that this weekend's overall success is expected to blow last year's numbers out of the water. We're talking about potentially surpassing the $137.2 million earned last year, boosted by the ongoing buzz around films like *Moana 2*, *Wicked*, and even the upcoming *Gladiator II*. It seems like audiences are ready to brave the December chill for some good ol' fashioned cinema.

Now, let's talk *Wicked: For Good*. In its third week, it's projected to earn $4.7 million today and $16.2 million over the three-day weekend. Which, frankly, isn't terrible, but it's a noticeable drop. It's sitting about 11% behind the original *Wicked*'s performance at the same stage. Still, a cumulative total of $288.1 million isn't anything to scoff at.

Don't count out the anime fans, though! Gkids's *Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution* is estimated to earn $4.5 million today, including previews, bringing its three-day total to a respectable $8 million to $10 million. And rounding out the top five, we have Quentin Tarantino's *Kill Bill: The Whole Blood Affair*, which, despite its limited showtimes, is projected to earn over $1.6 million today.

But let's get back to Freddy. This $36 million sequel is a serious shot in the arm for a time of year that's often considered a bit of a box office desert. Even with a 30% decrease from the first film's preview night earnings, the hype is clearly real. The original film, based on that ridiculously popular video game, tapped into a dedicated fanbase. This time around, *Freddy's 2* is a theatrical exclusive, which seems to be paying off big time.