Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, and Emma Tammi spoke at the premiere of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 about trying to make the second entry scarier and bigger to cater to the fans, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the popular survival horror game series of the same name, the original Five Nights at Freddy’s film was released on October 27, 2023. Written by series creator Scott Cawthon, directed by Emma Tammi, and starring Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio and Lillard, the adaptation was negatively reviewed by critics, receiving a 33% Critical Score on Rotten Tomatoes, but hit with audiences, grossing nearly $300 million worldwide against a $20 million budget.
Now, with everyone returning for the sequel, Hutcherson discussed how the production took feedback from the fan base to improve upon the original’s scares:
“I think it’s a little dangerous sometimes looking for feedback from an audience to then make a sequel, but in this case, the feedback was great, it was making it scarier. The first one, I liked the movie, but I think that it wasn’t as scary as it could have been; I think that we heard that and we agreed, so we stepped up the scariness in this second one.”
The actor previously discussed his gratitude to the fans at the project’s Comic Con panel this past summer:
“It’s rare that you get to be a part of something that so many people connect to… And now to have people go down this adventure with me, it’s so cool to be part of something that has so deep of a love.”
Matthew Lillard also credits the fans for helping catch Hollywood’s attention, allowing the filmmakers to go bigger with the sequel:
“I don’t think that everyone in Hollywood understands the full power and capacity of this fanbase…We went day-and-date [in theaters and on Peacock] and still did really well without the cast doing much promotion for it in 2023. Now they have “a bigger launch…”
Tammi added that the team would be up for doing more films if fans were up for it:
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to keep going for a trilogy, but it’ll really be dependent on how everyone responds to this one and if there’s a demand for it. We’re here for it if the fans are.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is now playing in theaters.
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