Most Polarizing Video Game Movie of 2023 Gets a Sequel Already

Summary:

• The year 2023 was full of surprisingly great adaptations of iconic video games
• However, the success of Five Nights at Freddy's was particularly curious given that the film initially seemed doomed to fail
• The movie's star, Josh Hutcherson, reveals that the sequel is already in the works and will be released as soon as possible

2023 was packed with cinematic surprises, especially in the field of video game adaptations, suggesting that filmmakers finally seem to have learned how to do them right for the most part.

While it was a bit unexpected to see how great The Last of Us TV turned out to be, the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was an even bigger surprise, especially after the rather mixed critical reviews that proved to be drastically different from the audience reaction.

However, the success of another video game movie, Five Nights at Freddy's, released in October 2023, was even more stunning, as no one could have predicted it, as all the odds were stacked against the project.

FNaF Movie Was Initially Doomed To Fail

When it was announced that the series of horror games that has become a cult classic over the years would be getting a movie adaptation, many fans were quite skeptical, and the early signs weren't exactly promising.

The movie was released when the franchise was well past its prime, as it was arguably the most popular in the mid-2010s, and even then it wasn't nearly as well known as, say, Mario.

On top of that, the budget for the film was a mere $20 million, and the initial critical reaction was absolutely disastrous, with mostly negative reviews claiming that it was bland, unnecessarily convoluted, and not scary at all.

Shortly after the movie's release, however, the situation took a U-turn for the better, as fans absolutely loved Five Nights at Freddy's, saying that it perfectly captured the atmosphere of the original games.

Even the fact that the adaptation changed some aspects of the games' lore didn't seem to bother the fans much, and the movie's low budget turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the gross of $295.3 million made the project a massive success.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Sequel: Everything to Know

With all that in mind, it was clear that it was only a matter of time before we saw the sequel, and now Josh Hutcherson, who portrayed the film's protagonist Mike Schmidt, has confirmed that it is already in the works in an interview with Variety.

The actor revealed that the story for the second film is currently being developed and that the creators are aiming to release it as soon as possible, also mentioning that he can't wait to return to the FNaF franchise.

Like many fans, the cast and crew didn't expect the movie to be so well-received, but it was a welcome surprise for everyone, so they are excited to deliver the next chapter of the story.

Hutcherson also shared that Jennifer Lawrence, who starred alongside him in The Hunger Games film series, congratulated her former co-star on the success of his latest project.

Fans are looking forward to the sequel and hope that the creators will improve on the weakest aspects of its predecessor, like the fact that the movie wasn't really scary, and fix some parts of the story.

No release date has been announced yet.

Source: Variety