FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 from Universal and Blumhouse Productions turned out an impressive $63.0M in its debut, good for first-place at the box office. It was the highest total ever for a movie opening on the weekend that starts 8 days after Thanksgiving, which has traditionally been a soft spot between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This pushed the total domestic box office to $154.0M, compared to $137.2M last year on this same weekend, which was dominated by the Thanksgiving holdovers MOANA 2 in its second weekend and WICKED and GLADIATOR II both in their third weekends. PUSHPA: THE RULE PART 2 from AA Films was the only new wide release to hit theatres last year at this time, earning $9.3M in its first three days.
Next weekend will be relatively quiet, as the studios hold off on major new releases in anticipation of the blockbuster opening on December 19th of Disney and 20th Century’s AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. We have been looking forward James Cameron’s third AVATAR movie all year, as the first two were massive successes in their years, with AVATAR in 2009 and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER in 2022. The box office fortunes of FIRE AND ASH will go a long way towards determining the fate of the 2025 box office, even though it will only contribute its box office for the last two weeks of the year. In the past, the public has flocking to theatres to see AVATAR’s otherworldly special effects in IMAX and other premium large format screens enhanced with 3D effects. Director James Cameron has said that FIRE AND ASH will be “huge on visual spectacle, especially in 3D.”
For now, let’s step through the top five movies of this weekend.
FIRST PLACE
Universal and Blumhouse’s FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 finished in first place in its opening weekend with $63.0M domestically and $109.M worldwide. This is the sequel to FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S which opened on October 27, 2023 and was based on a popular video game of the same name.
Jason Blum founded Blumhouse Productions in 2000, focusing on low-budget horror films. In 2009, the studio’s profile increased exponentially with the release of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, which was both well-reviewed by critics and a huge box office success, earning $107.9M domestically and $193.4M worldwide. Blumhouse has produced over 110 theatrical releases, cranking out low-budget, horror-themed features that have resonated with the studio’s cult following. In 2014, Blumhouse former a distribution partnership with Universal and since then the two have released a solid string of movies, with FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S at the head of the pack. Even though FREDDY’s was released simultaneously to play in movie theatres and on Universal’s Peacock streaming service, it enjoyed a record-setting $80M opening weekend, which was $21% higher than that of FREDDY’S 2. The original FREDDY’S went on to earn a worldwide total of $291.5M, which was almost 15 times greater than its skinny production cost of $20M. With results like that, it was clear that a sequel would be forthcoming, and it has now arrived, slightly more than two years later.
The plot of FREDDY’S 2 starts one year after the events of the first film. Mike Schmidt struggles to rebuild a life for himself and his younger sister, Abby. When Abby sneaks out at night and returns to a newly refurbished Freddy Fazbear’s location, Mike is forced back into the nightmare he thought he had escaped. The reopened pizzeria contains new animatronics, including Toy versions, which behave unpredictably and hide a deeper truth about the murders. As Abby forms a bond with them, Mike uncovers the origins of Freddy’s, confronts the lingering evil of William Afton, and discovers horrifying secrets buried in the restaurant’s past.
Emma Tammi returns as director for the second movie. The sequel brings back several actors from the first movie, including Josh Hutcherson as Mike, Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa, Piper Rubio as Abby, and Matthew Lillard as William. For FREDDY’S 2, the team increased the number of animatronics and their operational capabilities. According to Tammi, they “stretched themselves much further creatively, technically … and so much action with them.” At least one of the animatronic creatures reportedly required 13 people to operate it to its full capabilities. Following the first film’s success and because of the animatronic upgrades, FREDDY’S has ramped-up its horror with scarier stunts and visuals. So much so that the film spills out of the Freddy Fazbear Pizza location into the streets of the city, which was filmed in New Orleans. While ¾ of the original movie takes place in the pizzeria, the sequel unfolds mostly outside that location.
Critics absolutely hated the original, giving it a crushing of 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Luckily for the film, audiences were not on that same page, registering a solid 86% score. Despite the wide disparity, a film’s success at the box office is based largely on how audiences respond. With the sequel, the gap between critics and audiences is even greater, with a critics score of 12% (yikes!) and audiences at 88%. Here are a few samples of the critics’ reviews. New York Magazine opines,” The trauma theme, much discussed by the characters, doesn’t really get any kind of aesthetic workout. Even the film’s central idea of a child communing with giant, surreal automatons is ultimately a nonstarter.” The Film Verdict said, “The nights seem to grow longer and duller in this pointless sequel.” Looking on the bright side, Roger Ebert.com said, “The film not only has a more involved story, but also features more engaged filmmaking throughout, with more camera setups and visual brio.”
Director Emma Tammi was empowered with a production sizeable budget of $51M, which makes FREDDY’S 2 the most expensive Blumhouse movie of all time. To be profitable, we estimate that the film will need to earn $128M globally. Considering the original’s $291.5M worldwide take, and a solid opening weekend for the sequel, we think that Universal has made a pretty safe bet on the sequel. Here is how the two films compare.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 vs. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
SECOND PLACE
Disney’s ZOOTOPIA 2 dropped down one spot from its first-place finish last weekend to land in second place by selling an additional $43.0M and dropping 57%. This brings its 12-day total to $220.5M domestically and a staggering $915.8M worldwide. Like the original ZOOTOPIA from 2016, the sequel is doing extraordinarily well in international markets, with 76% of its total generated outside North America. China has been particularly strong, where $32M-$34M came in on its first day in theatres, which was the same Wednesday November 26th when it opened in the U.S. In fact, ZOOTOPIA 2 in its first five days racked up $272M in Chinese theatres compared to $158.8M in the domestic market. ZOOTOPIA 2 has become China’s highest-grossing imported animated film after 12 days, and the sixth-best opening for any movie ever to open in China, including all genres and countries of origins. Disney has a huge hit on its hands, with the sequel running well ahead of the original.
ZOOTOPIA 2 vs. ZOOTOPIA after 12 Days
THIRD PLACE
Universal’s WICKED: FOR GOOD came in third place in its third weekend by adding $16.8M to its domestic gross and dropping a very steep 73%. This brings its 17-day totals to $297.0M domestically and $440.1M worldwide. After starting off strong with $147.0M on its opening weekend, WICKED: FOR GOOD has faded to the point that it is now behind last year’s WICKED after 17 days. WICKED: FOR GOOD’s second weekend box office of $61.7M was 58% below its opening, and only 77% of WICKED’S second weekend total of $81.2M. WICKED: FOR GOOD’s third weekend gross of $16.8M is 46% of WICKED’s third weekend gross of $36.4M.
While interest in WICKED last year continued throughout December and into January, WICKED: FOR GOOD seems unlikely to repeat that performance. At least nine wide release titles will open before the end of the year, and the pressure to find screens to play them all will cut into WICKED: FOR GOOD’s playing time. Here is a comparison of the two WICKED movies.
WICKED: FOR GOOD vs. WICKED after 17 Days
FOURTH PLACE
JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION, distributed by GKIDS, popped into fourth place with $10.2M in its opening weekend. This is yet another example of an anime feature breaking into the top five films domestically in 2025. In fact, this is the third anime movie to do this in the last three months, starting with DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE opened to $70.6M from September 12-14, followed by CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC that opened with $18.0M from October 24-26.
JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION is a compilation of dark fantasy stories. It was released in Japan on November 7th and across the U.S. and Canada this weekend. The source material is taken from Jujutsu Kaisen, a wildly successful TV show in Japan that Guinness World Records has ranked as the most in-demand animated TV show in the world. The movie recaps season two of the Jujutsu Kaisen show, together with a pre-screening of the third season. The movie’s storyline begins when a veil abruptly descends over the busy Shibuya area which is bustling with Halloween crowds. Satoru Gojo, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, steps into chaos but Curse Users and Spirits are lying in wait to capture him and spirit him away. Yuji Itadori, accompanied by his classmates and other top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerers, enters the fray in an unprecedented clash of Curses known as the Shibuya Incident. In the aftermath, ten colonies across Japan are transformed into dens of Curses in a plan orchestrated by Kenjaku, the most wicked Curse User in history. As the deadly Culling Game starts, Special Grade Sorcerer and fellow student Yuta Okkotsu is assigned to carry out Yuji’s execution for his perceived crimes.
While JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION does not yet have a critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes due to a limited number of reviews, it does have an audience score of 81%. There is no question that the film will be profitable, as the gross in Japan has already reached $24.7M in the last month and the film only needs to earn $25M worldwide to be profitable. For a comparison film, we have chosen JUJUTSU KAISEN O. Though not a compilation or recap, this prior film in the same franchise sets a precedent for taking stories from manga and anime and reshaping them into a high-quality cinematic experience.
JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION vs. JUJUTSU KAISEN O
FIFTH PLACE
Lionsgate’s magic mystery NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T finished in fifth place in its fourth weekend with $3.5M, a decline of 49%. This brings its 24-day totals to $55.3M domestically and $210M worldwide. This puts the film under the estimated $275M that it will require to be profitable. That said, this is valuable Intellectual Property for Lionsgate and we expect that the studio its film makers will decide to make another chapter. Here is how the film has performed after 24 days.
NOW YOU SEE ME Movies after 24 Days
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
Lionsgate’s KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, director Quentin Tarantino’s combination of his classics KILL BILL: VOL. 1 & VOL. 2, finished in sixth place with $3.3M. Tarantino has directed only nine movies in his career, with his first being RESERVOIR DOGS in 1992 and his most recent being ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD from 2019. He has stated repeatedly that he intends to retire from directing after making ten films, saying that he feels that he does not want to “hang on too long” and see the quality of his work decline. When releasing ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, he reconfirmed that his intention was to finish up his filmmaking with one final effort to come. Since then, Tarantino has floated ideas, including a movie with the working title THE MOVIE CRITIC.
Tarantino counts KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 as a single movie in two parts, setting a path that was most recently followed by Jon Chu with the two-part duo of WICKED and WICKED: FOR GOOD. Unlike Chu, Tarantino made his decision to split his movie into two parts after filming had been completed, not before. In June 2003, he delivered the first director’s cut of KILL BILL to his studio partner Miramax, with a running time of 3h 45m. After its first internal screenings at Miramax, Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein (yes, that Harvey Weinstein) agreed that the film was too long to be released without major cuts. Tarantino suggested splitting the film into two parts so he wouldn’t have to remove material he felt was essential to the story. Having also written the script for KILL BILL, he was loath to cut anything that he put into his own film, feeling that everything was necessary to tell the full story. On July 15, 2003, Tarantino and Miramax announced that KILL BILL VOL. 1 would open in October that year and that KILL BILL VOL. 2 would follow six months on April 2004.
While the original KILL BILL was divided into two volumes, Tarantino never gave up on the idea that what he came to see as THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR should play together as a single “kung-fu revenge epic”, just as Tarantino had originally intended. In 2011, the WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR had its first public screenings at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Since then, it has only been shown one more time in public, at the Beyond Fest in Los Angeles in 2023. One significant complication is litigation around Miramax’s rights regarding KILL BILL VOL. 1 and KILL BILL VOL. 2. Disney sold Miramax in 2010, and the swirl of scandal around its founder Harvey Weinstein has complicated matters. By 2024, these legal hurdles had been cleared, and Lionsgate was able to pick up the baton and plan for a public release of KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR on December 5, 2025.
The combined plots of the films feature The Bride (Uma Thurman), a former assassin, who is left for dead when Bill (David Carradine) and the Deadly Vipers massacre her wedding party. Awakening from a coma, she seeks revenge, killing Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) while uncovering that her past still haunts her. Buried alive by Budd (Michael Madsen), she escapes using Pai Mei’s (Chia-Hui Liu) training, then defeats Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). Learning her daughter survived, she confronts Bill, grappling with their shared history and the life she lost. Using the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, she kills him and finally breaks free from the violent world that created her, reclaiming peace with her daughter.
Critics have always been impressed with Tarantino’s work, and the original KILL BILL movies were no exception. The grades for KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR on Rotten Tomatoes are through the roof, with critics giving it a perfect 100% score and audiences a neat 99%. Some sample comments from reviewers are Collider saying, “over 20 years after both volumes were released, The Whole Bloody Affair isn’t just an incredible way to experience Tarantino’s most bombastic film; it’s also a great reminder of just how much QT has grown as a filmmaker”. The Wall Street Journal adds “If it’s an extravagant demand of time it’s an even more extravagant pleasure, the rare film worth a trip out to the cinema for full immersion.” The Travers Take says, “Quentin Tarantino puts his two “Kill Bill” epics together to make one uncut, unrated radically untamed film with extras and Uma unleashed that great god almighty feels free at last.”
The two KILL BILL movies cost $60M to produce and grossed $331.1M worldwide from their original releases. This yields a very healthy and profitable 5.5 to 1 ratio of worldwide gross to production budget. With no new production cost and only the expense of distribution and marketing, the re-release is destined to be quite profitable. Here’s how the original two films compare.
KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR vs. KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2
Where Are We as of 12/4/2025
After 48 weeks, the 2025 domestic box office stands even at 100% compared to the same point in 2024 and 75% compared to 2019.
