2025 has been a fantastic year for the horror genre, and it will get even better next month. Despite several hits like Lilo & Stitch and A Minecraft Movie, it’s been a slower year at the box office. However, the horror genre has performed remarkably well and is currently experiencing its best year ever.
Horror set a record in 2025 for its annual gross, reaching $1.2 billion. The genre’s success has come from a mix of original hits such as Sinners and Weapons and installments from familiar franchises including The Conjuring: Last Rites, Final Destination: Bloodlines, 28 Years Later, and Black Phone 2.
Currently, Last Rites holds the title of the highest-grossing horror movie of 2025, surpassing Sinners with $494.5 million worldwide. However, the year isn’t over yet. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is set to release in December and will extend horror’s record-breaking box office total to a massive number, while possibly knocking Last Rites off its perch.
Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Could Be The Biggest Horror Movie Of 2025
Five Nights at Freddy’s started as an impressive indie horror game and has expanded into a major global franchise. In the first game, players take on the role of a security guard who must survive five nights in a pizza restaurant filled with murderous animatronics. The robots are led by Freddy Fazbear, the mascot of the pizza chain.
As the game gained popularity, sequels were released that changed the setting and expanded the lore. Now, the franchise has become a massive brand, with spinoffs, novels, and even a recent house at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Almost 10 years after the first game’s debut, a film adaptation was finally released in 2023.
Despite poor reception from critics, with a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, the first Five Nights did well at the box office, grossing $297.2 million worldwide. It’s a remarkable feat, especially when considering that the film released on Peacock the same day it released in theaters.
Two years later, the second film is set to release, this time exclusively in theaters. With no streaming option available upon release, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has a great chance at making well beyond the first film’s total gross. It also has a chance at passing The Conjuring 4 to become the highest-grossing horror film of 2025.
One advantage Five Nights has over Last Rites is its broad appeal. It caters to a horror crowd and fans of the game. To pass Conjuring 4, Freddy’s need to gross around $500 million; about $200 million more than the first. It’s a challenge, but as Minecraft demonstrated, there’s a large audience for video game adaptations.
The main challenge Freddy’s 2 will face is competition. It releases on December 5, two weeks after Wicked: For Good and two weeks before Avatar: Fire and Ash. Wicked will likely have longevity at the box office, and Avatar 3 is going to be a box office behemoth like its predecessors.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 needs to make most of its money in a short amount of time if it is going to pass Last Rites. Even if it fails to steal the horror box office crown for 2025, it will still be a huge hit that more than likely sets up a third film.
- Release Date
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December 5, 2025
- Director
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Emma Tammi
- Writers
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Scott Cawthon
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Matthew Lillard
William Afton
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