Five Nights at Freddy’s series creator Scott Cawthon has commented on the success of the movie adaptation, which opened this past weekend and broke records. Posting on Reddit, Cawthon thanked fans for “making opening weekend such a big success.” The movie has so far earned about $150 million worldwide at the box office.
He added, “It was beyond my wildest dreams. I do read the comments and critiques, so while I’m glad most people had a great time at the movies, I’m definitely paying attention, and I wanted you all to know that.”
Cawthon went on to say that he attended a number of opening-weekend showings “incognito” with glasses and a beard. He said no one recognized him, and he shared some fun stories.
“Just before the movie started a teenage boyfriend and girlfriend walked in; the girlfriend was dressed as Toy Chica, and they sat right next to me. She was obviously a super-fan (him not so much), and I heard her say as she walked in, ‘What if Scott Cawthon was in here?,'” Cawthon said.
“A few seconds later after they sat down, I heard her whisper, ‘That kind of looks like Scott Cawthon’, gesturing to me. He glanced over at me then whispered back to her, ‘Dear, he’s old.’ To that I say–Two things can be true at the same time,” he added.
That same day, Cawthon watched the movie again and reported that a number of “super-fans” sat down next to him in costume. But then they stood up and moved a few seats down.
“I swear I put on deodorant… maybe not enough?” Cawthon said.
At another showing that Cawthon attended, he said the theater was packed and he heard people cheer and clap. “That was a lot of fun,” he said. And on a second viewing on Saturday, Cawthon said he wore a Security Breach t-shirt and got a compliment from another moviegoer.
“I was standing in line behind a young woman in a Freddy hat waiting for popcorn and drinks, and she turned and looked at me and just said, ‘I like the shirt!’ That made my night,” Cawthon said.
The FNAF movie was years in the making. Cawthon was very protective of the script, and he said he would not compromise on the story. At one point in time, Harry Potter and Home Alone director Chris Columbus was attached to direct. However, Cawthon vetoed the script for this version.
In the end, Cawthon made the FNAF movie with horror studio Blumhouse. The movie became Blumhouse’s biggest opening ever and was the second-biggest start for a video game movie, only behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The film was directed by Emma Tammi (Into the Dark, The Wind) based on a script by Cawthon, Tammi, Seth Cuddeback, Chris Lee Hill, and Tyler MacIntyre.
The FNAF movie stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo). Jim Henson’s Creature Shop working on the spooky animatronics.
Cawthon made headlines after his political donations came to light. He has subsequently retired from making video games to focus on his family.
For more on the movie, check out GameSpot’s Five Nights at Freddy’s review. And looking ahead, do “not expect an R-rated version” of the film.
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