Universal Confirms ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ Runtime as Presales Crash Vendor Sites

Early ticket sales for Universal Pictures’ ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ overwhelmed exhibitor infrastructure on Friday, causing intermittent outages on Fandango and the AMC Theatres app for nearly 45 minutes. Data from Boxoffice Pro indicates the horror sequel is tracking for a domestic opening weekend of $92 million to $105 million, a figure that would eclipse the franchise’s 2023 debut by roughly 18%. The surge in demand follows Blumhouse Productions’ official confirmation of the film’s runtime at 1 hour and 52 minutes, expanding on the original by two minutes to accommodate a denser lore-heavy narrative.

The Motion Picture Association has officially assigned the sequel a PG-13 rating for “persistent mechanical violence and terror,” ending months of online speculation regarding a potential shift to an R-rating. In a press release issued Saturday, director Emma Tammi addressed the rating, citing the inclusion of “The Mangle,” a fan-favorite animatronic whose complex design required practical effects work from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop that reportedly cost 30% more than the original film’s entire puppet budget. The sequel will launch exclusively in theaters on December 5, retaining the day-and-date streaming strategy on Peacock only for international territories where theatrical distribution is limited.

Marketing for the December corridor has pivoted toward immersive experiences, with Universal unveiling plans for a “Fazbear’s Fright” pop-up attraction at Area15 in Las Vegas starting December 1. The ticketed experience, which sold out its initial 10,000 slots in under an hour, promises a walkthrough of the film’s “New and Improved” pizzeria set. Merchandise sales have similarly spiked, with Hot Topic reporting a 200% increase in apparel revenue over the weekend, driven largely by the new “Withered Bonnie” hoodie collection.

Competition for family audiences is heating up as Paramount Pictures initiates its own campaign for ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’, scheduled for release on December 19. Paramount announced on Sunday that the film will feature heavily in the upcoming Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, debuting a 50-foot-tall helium balloon of the titular character piloting a “Flying Dutchman” ghost ship. Analysts predict the animated feature will perform strongly as counter-programming to the horror-centric ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ and the sci-fi epic ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, targeting the under-10 demographic left underserved by the month’s darker offerings.

Exhibitor stocks reacted positively to the robust presale figures, with AMC Entertainment Holdings rising 4.2% in pre-market trading Monday. Theater owners are reportedly scrambling to allocate additional auditoriums to the horror sequel, with some chains in major metropolitan hubs like Chicago and Dallas reserving their Premium Large Format screens exclusively for the film’s opening weekend. The aggressive programming strategy reflects a broader industry confidence that the 2025 holiday season will finally surpass pre-pandemic admission levels.