The Monday Morning Hangover Report – Scary Good Times at Freddy’s
Every Monday, we shake off the weekend and break down what really happened at the box office – the hits, the surprises, the flops, and the trends shaping moviegoing right now. Think of this as your cinematic debrief paired with a cocktail: sharp, fun, and just what you need to start the week. It’s the Monday Morning Hangover Report!
Opening Pour
Holiday bustle, early-December chill, and a crowd hungry for scares; last weekend’s mix somehow turned into a perfect cocktail for horror. The sequel Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 snapped up the top spot, showing horror still has teeth when released right. The rest of the slate played second fiddle, but with the holiday wave ramping up, things may be just warming up for December.
Top 5 Domestic Films For The Weekend of Dec 6–8, 2025 (numbers courtesy of Box Off Mojo)
| Rank | Film | Weekend Gross / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 | $63.0 million opening weekend, across 3,412 theaters. A strong per-screen average ($8,736) and a sharp reminder that horror still draws crowds. |
| 2 | Zootopia 2 | Held in second place. Friday numbers show it grossed $13.8 million for the day, part of its larger post-Thanksgiving holdover. |
| 3 | Wicked: For Good | Slipped to third with $4.5 million Friday gross, down sharply from peak, but still drawing in musical-fans & late-holiday crowds. |
| 4 | Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution | Around $3.07 million over the weekend. Not huge, but solid for niche/genre; anime still has an audience base. |
| 5 | Now You See Me, Now You Don’t |
Highlights & Insights
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Horror’s Still Hungry: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 proved horror sequels remain money; $63M is a strong launch, (the best opening weekend after Thanksgiving ever), especially heading into December when some expect family/tentpole fare to dominate.
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Animated Afterglow: Zootopia 2 is still pulling at #2, which shows Disney’s late-November strength isn’t fading fast; even with new competition, animated family fare keeps its legs post-holiday.
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Musicals & Middleweight Films Fade: Wicked: For Good dropped hard; the holiday glow is wearing off and musicals are showing vulnerability in a crowded release calendar.
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Niche & Genre Keep Their Lane: Jujutsu Kaisen and similar anime/animated/genre films continue quietly; not splashy, but dependable.
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December Strategy Begins: With this horror win and animated holdovers, studios seem to be betting on wide appeal, low-friction releases to carry them toward the end of year. Oh, and all those “get them into theaters before year end so they are Oscar contenders” movies are going to be found in that one theater at the end of the hallway at the megaplex.
What’s Next – December Is Heating Up
Here’s what’s coming, and what we expect will stir the pot:
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More Horror & Frights: With Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doing well, we’ll likely see more horror and dark-fantasy films chasing that warm-and-scary vibe in mid-December.
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Animated / Family Load-Ins: December’s schedule already lists wide family/animated entries – perfect timing with school breaks and holiday downtime. Family & animation are playing to win this season.
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Smaller/Genre Films Might Shine: As the tentpole crowd swamps theaters, indie, genre-leaning or limited-release films could find loyal pockets – especially among adults avoiding holiday family fare.
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Box Office Bounce or Burn: Post-holiday weeks will test whether Hollywood’s strategy of back-to-back event-style releases can hold. If fatigue sets in, we could see mid-budget dramas or sleeper-hit horrors creeping up fast.
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The Streaming Wild-Card: With more eyes on theater vs. streaming choices this season, theatrical releases that deliver either spectacle or strong word-of-mouth will have the best shot at making noise.
Final Pour
This weekend wasn’t about musicals, nostalgia, or family hits – it was about a horror sequel reminding everyone that the dark still draws. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 grabbed the spotlight; everything else adjusted around it. December’s looking like a cage-match between horror, animation, holiday releases and indie standouts. For movie-goers and cocktail-sippers alike – buckle up. It might get wild.
