Universal and Blumhouse's highly anticipated horror film "Five Nights at Freddy's" is set to haunt the box office with a projected debut of at least $50 million, according to industry insiders. The film, which is based on the popular video game, is generating significant buzz ahead of its release, as analysts speculate that the final numbers could even surpass expectations.

Set to open concurrently on Peacock, the streaming platform's day-and-date release of "Five Nights at Freddy's" is notable considering its potential to achieve one of the highest horror film debuts of the year. As of now, the leading horror debuts of 2023 include titles such as "Scream VI" with $44.4 million, "The Nun II" with $32 million, "M3GAN" with $30 million, and "The Exorcist: Believer" with $26.4 million.

The return to exclusive theatrical windows by major studios seems to be a trend, as it has proved to be more lucrative compared to hybrid releases. The relatively modest production budget of $20 million for "Five Nights at Freddy's" means that the film doesn't need to meet lofty financial goals to turn a profit.

While Peacock may not have as many subscribers as streaming giants like Disney+ or Netflix, the simultaneous release of "Five Nights at Freddy's" could provide a short-lived boost to the film's box office performance. This effect was observed with Universal's slasher sequel "Halloween Ends" in 2022, which opened with an impressive $40 million in conjunction with a Peacock release. However, ticket sales declined significantly in the following weeks, resulting in a domestic total of $64 million and a worldwide total of $104 million. This was in contrast to its predecessor, "Halloween Kills," which launched with $49 million (with a simultaneous streaming release) and managed to accumulate $92 million domestically and $133 million worldwide. Nevertheless, neither sequel matched the success of the first "Halloween" reboot in 2018, which exclusively aired in theaters and garnered $76 million in its opening weekend, ultimately grossing $159 million domestically and $259 million globally.

With minimal competition in the horror genre, "Five Nights at Freddy's" is poised to dominate the domestic charts and inject much-needed excitement into the fall box office. This October has been relatively quiet, with Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" expected to contend for second place. "The Eras Tour" is anticipated to generate $13 million to $15 million, while "Killers of the Flower Moon" is predicted to bring in $11 million to $13 million over the weekend.

Directed by Emma Tammi, "Five Nights at Freddy's" stars Josh Hutcherson as a security guard who accepts a night-time position at an abandoned amusement park reminiscent of Chuck E. Cheese. However, the family-friendly atmosphere takes a dark turn as he discovers the animatronic mascots' sinister nature, leading them to engage in deadly actions against anyone remaining on the premises after midnight.

Overall, expectations are high for "Five Nights at Freddy’s," as the film's mix of horror, nostalgia, and a beloved video game adaptation is primed to attract fervent fans and general audiences to theaters and Peacock alike.