Universal and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 devoured the competition with an estimated 63.0 million dollars domestic debut, easily claiming the top spot at the box office. It now holds the record for the biggest opening on the weekend that falls eight days after Thanksgiving, a frame that is usually a quiet lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The strong launch helped push the total domestic box office for the weekend to 154.0 million dollars, up from 137.2 million dollars on the comparable weekend last year, when holdovers Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II carried the load and Pushpa The Rule Part 2 was the only new wide release, opening to 9.3 million dollars.
Next weekend looks comparatively calm, as studios largely sit on the sidelines ahead of the big one. All eyes are on Avatar: Fire and Ash, opening December 19 from Disney and 20th Century. The first two Avatar films in 2009 and 2022 were towering box office events, and the performance of this third chapter will be a major swing factor for the full 2025 box office, even though it will only contribute two weeks of grosses this year.
Audiences have historically rushed out to see the series in IMAX and other premium formats with 3D presentations, and James Cameron has promised that Fire and Ash will deliver massive visual spectacle, especially in 3D.
For now, here is how the top five titles stacked up this weekend.
FIRST PLACE
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 – Universal / Blumhouse
Opening weekend: 63.0 million dollars domestic
Worldwide total to date: 109.0 million dollars
The sequel to the 2023 hit Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the popular game franchise, marks another big outing for Blumhouse. Jason Blum’s company, founded in 2000, built its reputation on low-budget horror, breaking through hugely with Paranormal Activity in 2009, which earned 107.9 million dollars domestically and 193.4 million dollars worldwide on a tiny production cost. Since then, Blumhouse has produced more than 100 theatrical releases and, in 2014, forged a successful distribution partnership with Universal.
The first Freddy’s film opened on October 27, 2023, and, even with a day and date release on Peacock, still delivered a record 80.0 million dollars opening weekend. It went on to 291.5 million dollars worldwide on a 20 million dollar budget, nearly fifteen times its cost. With numbers like that, a follow-up was inevitable.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 picks up one year after the events of the original. Mike Schmidt is trying to rebuild a life for himself and his younger sister, Abby, when she sneaks out and returns to a newly refurbished Freddy Fazbear’s. Mike is pulled back into the nightmare he thought was over.
The reopened pizzeria features new animatronics, including Toy versions that behave unpredictably and hide disturbing truths about past murders. As Abby bonds with the characters, Mike uncovers the origins of Freddy’s, confronts the lingering evil of William Afton, and uncovers dark secrets buried in the restaurant’s history.
Emma Tammi returns to direct. Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard reprise their roles as Mike, Vanessa, Abby, and William. The sequel expands the animatronic roster and their technical capabilities. Tammi has said the team pushed themselves further both creatively and technically, with more complex action built around the animatronics.
One creature reportedly required thirteen operators to fully control. The result is an increase in scale and intensity. Where most of the first film stayed inside Freddy Fazbear’s, the sequel spends much more time outside and was mainly shot on location in New Orleans.
Critics blasted the first film, giving it a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences were far more enthusiastic at 86%. The gap is even wider this time. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 currently sits at 12% with critics and 88% with audiences. Reviewers like New York Magazine and The Film Verdict call the sequel aimless and dull, while RogerEbert.com points to a more involved story and more energetic filmmaking. As usual with horror franchises, audience reaction matters far more than critical scorn.
Blumhouse and Universal upped the investment this time. Freddy’s 2 carries a reported 51 million dollar production budget, the highest in Blumhouse history. By Screendollars’ estimate, the film needs roughly 128 million dollars worldwide to hit profitability. Given the original’s 291.5 million dollar global haul and the strong opening frame, this looks like a comfortable bet.
SECOND PLACE
ZOOTOPIA 2 – Disney
Weekend gross: 43.0 million dollars
Domestic total to date: 220.5 million dollars
Worldwide total to date: 915.8 million dollars
After opening at number one last weekend, Zootopia 2 slides to second with 43.0 million dollars, a drop of 57 percent from its debut. After twelve days, the animated sequel has hit 220.5 million dollars domestic and a massive 915.8 million dollars worldwide. The original Zootopia in 2016 was already a global phenomenon. The new film is playing even more heavily overseas, with roughly 76 percent of its gross coming from international markets.
China has been powerful. The film opened there on the same Wednesday, November 26, as in the United States, and earned between 32 and 34 million dollars on its first day alone. Over the first five days, Zootopia 2 collected 272 million dollars in China compared to 158.8 million dollars domestic. It is now the highest-grossing imported animated feature in Chinese box office history after twelve days and has delivered the sixth-largest opening for any film in China, across all genres and countries. Disney clearly has a giant hit on its hands.
THIRD PLACE
WICKED FOR GOOD – Universal
Weekend gross: 16.8 million dollars
Domestic total to date: 297.0 million dollars
Worldwide total to date: 440.1 million dollars
In its third weekend, Wicked For Good fell to third with 16.8 million dollars, a steep 73% drop. The film now stands at 297.0 million dollars domestic and 440.1 million dollars worldwide after seventeen days.
The first Wicked held much better at this point in its run. Wicked For Good opened stronger with 147.0 million dollars compared to 112.5 million dollars for the original, but its legs are notably weaker. The second weekend fell to 62.8 million dollars, down 57%, which is only 77% of Wicked’s second weekend figure of 81.2 million dollars. This third weekend’s 16.8 million dollars is less than half of the 36.4 million dollars that Wicked earned in its third frame.
Last year, Wicked played solidly through December and into January. Wicked For Good faces a more challenging environment. At least nine wide releases will arrive before year’s end, putting heavy pressure on screen counts and showtimes.
Wicked For Good vs. Wicked after 17 days
FOURTH PLACE
JUJUTSU KAISEN EXECUTION – GKIDS
Opening weekend: 10.2 million dollars
Worldwide total to date: 24.7 million dollars in Japan plus North America opening
Anime continues to punch well above its weight in multiplexes. Jujutsu Kaisen Execution opens in fourth place with 10.2 million dollars domestic. It is the third anime feature in as many months to crack the top five, following Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, which bowed to 70.6 million dollars in mid September, and Chainsaw Man The Movie Reze Arc, which opened to 18.0 million dollars in late October.
Jujutsu Kaisen Execution is a dark fantasy compilation drawn from the hugely popular Jujutsu Kaisen television series. Guinness World Records has named the show the most in-demand animated series in the world. The film recaps season two and includes a pre-screening of season three. It began its run in Japan on November 7 and rolled out in the United States and Canada this weekend.
The story begins when a veil suddenly falls over the busy Shibuya district on Halloween night. Satoru Gojo, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, enters the chaos, unaware that Curse Users and Spirits are lying in wait to capture him. Yuji Itadori joins the fight with classmates and fellow top-tier Sorcerers in what becomes the infamous Shibuya Incident.
The aftermath leaves ten colonies across Japan transformed into nests of Curses under a plan devised by Kenjaku, the most wicked Curse User in history. As the deadly Culling Game begins, Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu is ordered to carry out Yuji’s execution for his supposed crimes.
Rotten Tomatoes does not yet have enough critical reviews to post a score, but the audience rating stands at 81% Financially, the picture is already in a strong position. It has earned 24.7 million dollars in Japan and carries an estimated 10 million dollar production cost, so it needs only about 25 million dollars worldwide to reach profitability.
For comparison, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, a prior film in the same franchise though not a recap, grossed 34.5 million dollars domestic and 132.1 million dollars worldwide on a similar budget, while scoring 98% with both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
FIFTH PLACE
NOW YOU SEE ME NOW YOU DON’T – Lionsgate
Weekend gross: 3.5 million dollars
Domestic total to date: 55.3 million dollars
Worldwide total to date: 210.0 million dollars
Lionsgate’s latest entry in its magician heist franchise lands in fifth place with 3.5 million dollars in its fourth weekend, a 49 percent dip from the last frame. After twenty-four days, Now You See Me Now You Don’t has earned 55.3 million dollars domestically and 210.0 million dollars worldwide.
With a 110 million dollar production budget, the film is currently trending below the estimated 275 million dollars worldwide threshold needed to move into the black. Even so, the Now You See Me universe remains valuable intellectual property for Lionsgate, and the studio is likely to consider another chapter if it can make the economics and release strategy work.
KILL BILL THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR – Lionsgate
Weekend gross: 3.3 million dollars
Just outside the top five, Lionsgate’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair lands in sixth place with 3.3 million dollars. The release finally gives Quentin Tarantino’s preferred version of his martial arts revenge saga a proper theatrical run.
Tarantino has directed only nine features, beginning with Reservoir Dogs in 1992 and most recently Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. He has often said he plans to retire from directing after his tenth film, wanting to leave the stage before age or repetition dulls his edge. Over the years, he has floated ideas for that final movie, including a project known as The Movie Critic, but nothing has gone before cameras yet.
For Tarantino, the two original Kill Bill films were always conceived as a single work. He still counts Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as one movie. After he delivered a three-hour forty-five-minute cut to Miramax in June 2003, early internal screenings convinced both the director and Harvey Weinstein that the running time was too long for a single theatrical release. Rather than cutting heavily, Tarantino proposed splitting the film into two volumes in order to preserve the structure and scenes he felt were essential. The studio agreed and, in July 2003, announced that Vol. 1 would open in October, with Vol. 2 to follow in April 2004.
Tarantino never fully let go of the idea of presenting the story as one continuous epic, and in 2011 The Whole Bloody Affair screened publicly for the first time at his New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. A second rare screening came at Beyond Fest in 2023. Rights issues complicated a wider release.
Disney sold Miramax in 2010, and the fallout from Weinstein’s scandals and related litigation further muddied the waters. By 2024, those obstacles were finally cleared, allowing Lionsgate to mount a proper theatrical rollout of Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair, which combines and subtly reworks both volumes into the single “kung fu revenge epic” Tarantino originally imagined.
The story follows The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, a former assassin left for dead when Bill and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad massacre her wedding party. After waking from a coma, she sets out on a methodical quest for revenge. She kills Vernita Green and O Ren Ishii, survives being buried alive by Budd through the training of Pai Mei, and defeats Elle Driver. When she learns her daughter is still alive, she confronts Bill, grapples with their shared past and the life she lost, and finally uses the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique to kill him and reclaim a peaceful life with her child.
Critics have always embraced Kill Bill, and reception to The Whole Bloody Affair is ecstatic. Rotten Tomatoes shows a perfect 100% critics score and 99% audience score. Collider calls it the definitive way to experience Tarantino’s most bombastic film and a sharp reminder of his growth as a filmmaker. The Wall Street Journal praises it as a rare film that truly rewards a trip to the cinema for full immersion. The Travers Take celebrates the uncut version as radically untamed, with Uma Thurman fully unleashed.
The original Kill Bill films cost 60 million dollars combined and grossed 331.1 million dollars worldwide, more than five and a half times their production budget. With no new production spend on The Whole Bloody Affair and only distribution and marketing costs, this re-release looks poised to deliver very healthy margins.
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Wk | Theatres | Weekend Gross | % Change | Avg. / Theatre | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 | Universal | 1 | 3,412 | $63,000,000 | — | $18,464 | $63,000,000 |
| 2 | Zootopia 2 | Disney | 2 | 4,000 | $43,000,000 | -57% | $10,750 | $220,474,037 |
| 3 | Wicked: For Good | Universal | 3 | 3,985 | $16,750,000 | -73% | $4,203 | $296,952,000 |
| 4 | Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution | GKIDS | 1 | 1,833 | $10,155,000 | — | $5,540 | $10,155,000 |
| 5 | Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | Lionsgate | 4 | 2,629 | $3,500,000 | -49% | $1,331 | $55,324,000 |
| 6 | Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair | Lionsgate | 1 | 1,198 | $3,250,000 | — | $2,713 | $3,250,000 |
| 7 | Eternity | A24 | 2 | 2,386 | $2,726,043 | -14% | $1,143 | $9,582,660 |
| 8 | Hamnet | Focus | 2 | 744 | $2,300,000 | +147% | $3,091 | $4,178,000 |
| 9 | Dhurandhar | Moviegoers | 1 | 390 | $1,929,390 | — | $4,947 | $1,929,390 |
| 10 | Predator: Badlands | 20th Century | 5 | 2,080 | $1,857,000 | -61% | $893 | $88,258,490 |
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