Five Nights at Freddy’s 2is on the way, and the movie has already fixed a massive mistake with the original movie that made $291 million at the box office.Five Nights at Freddy’s 2is one of themost highly-anticipated video game movies of 2025, with it following up on the firstFive Nights at Freddy’smovie from 2023. While many of the best aspects of the first film are returning inFive Nights at Freddy’s 2, the sequel is shaking one of the original’s worst aspects.

The firstteaser forFive Nights at Freddy’s 2was revealed at CinemaCon 2025, whichScreen Rantwas in attendance at. The trailer teases a major jump forward for the movie series, with the killer animatronics leaving the titular pizzeria and going into the real world. Alongside some of the returning animatronics,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2will also introduce the Toy line of animatronics as well as Mangle, Balloon Boy, and others.There are still a lot of mysteries surroundingFive Nights at Freddy’s 2, but one important fact about the film’s release is known.

Five Nights At Freddy’s Ending Explained

Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Is Releasing Exclusively In Theaters Unlike The First Movie

One of the smartest choices that has been made regardingFive Nights at Freddy’s 2is that the sequelis releasing exclusively in theaters. This is different from how the first movie was released, asFive Nights at Freddy’sdid not have an exclusive theatrical run. Instead, the movie was simultaneously released in theaters and on Peacock, with this streaming strategy most likely being a continuation of new release methods that were being tested during the COVID-19 pandemic. In hindsight, however, droppingFive Nights at Freddy’son Peacock was a big mistake.

Five Nights At Freddy’s Ending Explained

Five Nights at Freddy’s brings the game to life on the big screen, offering a compelling ending that sets up a sequel and encourages fan theories.

Luckily,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2will be avoiding this tragic decision.There has been no word ofFive Nights at Freddy’s 2getting a simultaneous streaming release, and since we are a few more years removed from the COVID-19 Pandemic, this strategy has mostly stopped. Thus,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2will have a substantial exclusive window in theaters, with fans of the franchise having to make the trek to cinemas if they don’t want to wait for the sequel’s streaming and digital releases.

A collage of The Banana Splits Movie (2019), Five Nights at Freedy’s, and Willy’s Wonderland

Why Five Nights At Freddy’s Releasing On Streaming & Theaters Same Day Was A Mistake

It Seriously Hurt The Film’s Box Office

Releasing the firstFive Nights at Freddy’smovie on streamingon the same day as its theatrical release was a massive mistake, one that seriously affected the film’s box office. 2023’sFive Nights at Freddy’shad a budget of $20 million and made $297.1 million by the end of its theatrical run, making it a big box office success. However, it undoubtedly could have been bigger. Many viewers who would have otherwise paid to seeFive Nights at Freddy’sin theaters probably stayed home and watched it on Peacock, meaning that the film missed out on potential ticket sales.

Amid the success of video game movies likeThe Super Mario Bros. Movieand theSonic the Hedgehogfilms, theFive Nights at Freddy’smovie would have been set up for greater successes if it weren’t for this bungled release plan.Other video game movies that were releasing around the same time were making hundreds of millions of dollars, andFive Nights at Freddy’shad the potential to join this video game movie hall of fame.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 poster

Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Should Be An Even Bigger Box Office Hit Now

Blowing The First FNAF Out Of The Water

Luckily,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2exclusive theatrical releasemeans that it should be an even bigger box office hit than the original. The sequel won’t have to worry about a simultaneous Peacock release cannibalizing its box office, with die-hardFive Nights at Freddy’sfans now having no choice but to go out to theaters to see the movie.

10 Best Movies Like Five Nights At Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy’s may have a very singular tone based on the video game, but there are some similar movies that are perfect to watch next.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2bigger box office also has the potential to show how much money the original film missed out on. Since it is a sequel, it already has a good chance of making more money than the first film. However, if it makes a signficantly higher amount of money at the box office, this signals that the first film had the potential to pull similar numbers. So, while it has been known thatFive Nights at Freddy’srelease plan was a mistake,Five Nights at Freddy’s 2could prove just how big of a mistake it was.