Five Nights at Freddy’s holds the esteem of being the highest-grossing horror of 2023, beating Saw X’s Jigsaw at his own game. Well, perhaps not at his own game, since Jigsaw doesn’t actually play video games. And while he does favor amateur CCTVs like seen in the aforementioned film, he’s more into torture traps and mental mind tricks. 

Despite competition from new theatrical releases and competing against itself on Peacock, Freddy’s cleaned up at the box office this past weekend. During its debut, nearly a month ago, it generated a whopping $80 million and now its global revenue totals $271.8 million, knocking out The Conjuring Universe’s The Nun II with $268 million and Saw X with $104.9 million. Surprisingly, Saw X isn’t even in the top five horror films of the year. Other films that crushed the vigilante serial killer franchise include: Insidious: The Red Door, M3GAN, Scream VI, and Evil Dead Rise.

Overall, this year has highlighted how horror will send people to the theater in droves. With 2023 about to end, it can be a time of disappointment, as one reflects on what they failed to achieve this year. But instead of focusing on the past, look ahead to many exciting horror films in 2024: The First Omen, A Quiet Place: Day One, Smile 2, and a yet-to-be-titled Radio Silence Universal Monster movie. Furthermore, franchises aren’t the only monsters having their day, as there are small-budget and non-franchise films on the horizon including: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Terrifier 3, Night Swim, and Imaginary.

So make a New Year’s resolution you’ll actually want to stick to: watch even more disturbing films in 2024.