The horror film Five Nights at Freddy’s created a surprise by dethroning pop superstar Taylor Swift at the top of the North American box office, according to figures published Sunday by the specialist firm Exhibitor Relations.
The feature film, inspired by a video game, features haunted animatronic mascots who seek to kill a night security guard, played by Josh Hutcherson, and his little sister in a former pizzeria with abandoned arcade games . For its American release scheduled before Halloween, the film raked in $78 million in revenue, a “fantastic” start, according to specialist David Gross of FranchiseRe.
Five Nights at Freddy’s thus climbs into the top 5 of the best releases for a horror film in the United States after the films in the It saga based on the novel by Stephen King. And this, even if the reviews are “bad”, according to David Gross.
Singer Taylor Swift’s film The Eras Tour, which includes scenes filmed at three different concerts, was a distant second, with $14.7 million. Since its release, it has racked up $149.3 million in North America, with fans of the country music singer sometimes showing up in cowboy boots to the screening.
Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s latest work, slips into third position with $9 million for its second week in theaters.
Also readOur review of Killers of the Flower Moon, the new film by Martin Scorsese: be careful, masterpiece
The film, lasting three hours 26 minutes, which brings together the director’s two favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, recounts the murders that targeted the Osage Native American people to monopolize their wealth from oil, in Oklahoma in the beginning of the 20th century.
In fourth place, the Christian documentary After Death about near-death experiences collected $5.1 million in its first week of release. Just after, The Exorcist – Devotion recorded $3.1 million in revenue. Like the original, the film revolves around characters possessed by supernatural forces, with faces covered in wounds, against the backdrop of a sometimes anxiety-provoking soundtrack and with an appearance by Ellen Burstyn from the 1973 production.