Gaming for the big screen: 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' and the rise of video game adaptations
'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' test screenings are being received well, and this is just the latest sign that video game adaptations might just be the future of Hollywood.
Universal Studios and Blumhouse are set to release the sequel to their 2023 supernatural horror film, which is based on Scott Cawthon’s eponymous video game series.
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The 2023 film was a commercial success and generally well received by audiences, although it had its fair share of negative reviews from critics, some of which included criticism about a lack of thrills and scares in the film, among other things.
However, studio executives have taken this feedback and assured audiences they would not make that mistake again. Various social media posts on X show Blumhouse president Jason Blum, in an appearance at CCXP Mexico, saying:
"We took lots of the criticism saying it was not scary, lacked blood or strong scenes ... we decided to implement all that in the sequel."
The new film’s director Emma Tammi and actor Matthew Lillard have also emphasised that they are taking the backlash from the previous film and are working on a more faithful, scarier and lore-heavy follow up. So far, their claims seem to stand true.
The first test screenings of 'FNAF 2' were met with warm reactions. Audiences reportedly “responded enthusiastically” to the early cut, even before any final edits were made, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
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The movie is scheduled to be released on December 5 2025, and although the test screenings are reported to be positive, we will have to wait and see if the movie stands up to the hype.
The 'Five Nights at Freddy's' franchise is a part of a larger phenomenon that is taking place across Hollywood: the rising popularity and success of film adaptations of video games. The success of the Super Mario Bros. movie further cements this point—the film made a whopping $1.361 billion worldwide, showing the industry that video game movies can make you serious profit, when done right.
It doesn’t end there: many adaptations of video games also receive high critical acclaim and set benchmarks in their industries. 'Fallout' made massive profit for Amazon Prime Video and the series’ smart writing and world-building impressed even non-gamers, 'Arcane' (based on 'League of Legends') blew people away with stunning animation, deep characters, and a unique art style, and the 'Sonic' franchise became a surprise hit.
What’s changed?
For starters, video games have become one of the biggest industries in the world, surpassing even the music and movie industry. This makes the potential audience huge. Furthermore, gamers are very passionate and loyal to the games they play. That means when a film or show truly honours the source material, fans show up in huge numbers—not just for the opening weekend, but through word of mouth, rewatches, merch, and social media hype.
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Even the video games themselves benefit from this. When a new show or movie releases, the original game typically has a spike in players. For example, after 'Last of Us' premiered on HBO, sales of the original game skyrocketed. 'Fallout' experienced a similar surge: following the show's release, multiple 'Fallout' titles jumped back onto bestseller charts, years after their original launch.
Looking ahead, the momentum continues. There are several future projects planned—Hideo Kojima is planning to make a movie based on 'Death Stranding', with new adaptations of 'The Legend of Zelda', 'Borderlands','Gears of War', 'Ghost of Tsushima', and more on their way. Several sequels for previous video game adaptations such as 'Angry Birds', 'Minecraft', 'Mortal Kombat', and 'Super Mario Bros.' are on the way.
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