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Why is Five Nights at Freddy's 2 such a hit? Because it knew what the fans wanted
The FNAF sequel shows what happens when you give people what they want (more jump scares, for one thing)
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Despite being panned by critics, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has become a huge hit at the box office, breaking multiple records. Even though it is the odd PG-13 horror movie released in December, it has won fans over around the world. Part of its success, according to director Emma Tammi, has been listening to the fans, which meant upping the horror factor over the first movie.
During a recent interview, Emma Tammi explained how she and Scott Cawthon, who created the original Five Nights at Freddy’s games as well as wrote the script for the second film, took fan feedback on board when putting Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 together. “It was definitely something we took into consideration and listened to a lot,” she said.
She continued, “Scott [Cawthon], for sure, in terms of incorporating certain things into the script, and me as well, in tonally making sure we’re sticking the landing in terms of what it sounded like audiences really wanted out of a sequel. So it was something we internalized. I think this is kind of a uniquely collaborative exercise, making these Five Nights at Freddy’s films with the fan base. We’re really listening to them hard. And even in the first film, I think Scott spent years and years thinking about it, and also listening to fans in terms of what their favorite parts of the lore were.”
Fans have certainly responded to what Tammi calls a “uniquely collaborative exercise,” making it the top movie in the US over the weekend with a healthy $63 million at the box office. Which means that a Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is looking even more likely than when they originally pitched it to Matthew Lillard.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is in theaters now.
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