Moviefone Editorial

Tag: josh-hutcherson

  • ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Becomes Box Office Hit

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    Preview

    • Horror title ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ opened big at the box office.
    • It has seen a second-weekend slump but is still making money.
    • There is already talk of a sequel.

    Clearly video game adaptations are the new big thing. After decades in the critical and box office wilderness, the genre has become successful in the last couple of years, and 2023 is looking like a banner year, what with ‘The Super Mario Bros.’ and now ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’.

    The horror movie, adapted from the popular point-and-click game series launched back in 2014 by creator Scott Hawthorn, has been taking in stacks of money at the domestic and international box office.

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    What’s the story of ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    In case you didn’t see the movie (and given that it was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming service Peacock, lots of people did), ‘Freddy’s’ follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson), a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before.

    Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

    But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa Shelly, a local police officer (Elizabeth Lail), Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’: What happened with its opening weekend?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    The first weekend launch for ‘Freddy’s –– even given the release on Peacock –– proved to be a huge one, driven by the games’ fanbase and word of mouth despite middling reviews.

    It opened to $80 million, far outstripping predictions and making it successful thanks to its typically thrifty Blumhouse budget of $20 million.

    The title is now the highest-grossing horror movie of the year, ahead of the likes of ‘M3GAN’ and ‘The Nun II’. Globally, it has now passed $217 million.

    Jason Blum, boss of Blumhouse, thanked fans via social media for the turnout:

    How did ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ fare in its second weekend?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    ‘Freddy’s’ took something of a tumble in its second weekend, dropping 76% to $19.4 million, but that isn’t stopping its momentum. It’s the second-highest grossing video game adaptation this year, though has quite a way to go to beat ‘Mario’, which passed the billion dollar mark (both titles were released by Universal, so we’re sure the studio is happy either way).

    So why the drop?

    Here’s what Franchise Entertainment Research boss David A. Gross told Variety of the second weekend figure:

    “‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is crashing in its second weekend of simultaneous streaming. The two viewing options compete with each other. An exclusive theatrical run generates the greatest total box office and then elevates the film and builds anticipation of the streaming premiere that follows it.”

    That said, it was helped by weak competition this past weekend, with two indie releases failing to make the top five.

    And it took home another accolade, becoming the first horror movie to repeat at the top of the box office after a Halloween release since 1991’s ‘The People Under the Stairs’.

    It won’t surprise anyone to learn that the success means sequels are very likely. Nothing is official yet, but ‘Freddy’s’ co-writer/director Emma Tammi said this to Variety before the movie opened:

    “We’re definitely excited to keep making more movies in this world, should we be lucky enough to do that.”

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’:

    BuyJosh Hutcherson Movies on Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    In theaters and on Peacock beginning October 27th, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is an attempt by horror powerhouse Blumhouse to channel the wildly popular video game franchise, in a way that fans will appreciate, while also making the story work for those who’ve never heard of the cult titles.

    It’s a fine line to walk, and not one that the movie always succeeds at, looking to cram in a rarely convincing emotional throughline for its main character, one the script can’t really support.

    Does ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ effectively adapt the video game?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    Perhaps the biggest question going into ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is how well it works for fans of the games. After all, creator Scott Cawthorn shut down a version set up at Warner Bros. that had Chris Columbus attached to write and direct when he didn’t like the course that the script was taking, fearing it veered too far from his original work.

    And it has taken Blumhouse, working with Cawthorn, nearly a decade to get this version to screens. For those who have fond memories of playing the ‘Freddy’s titles, there will at least be plenty of references to the expansive lore (for those unfamiliar, the franchise has expanded to several games and a wealth of spin-off books and other material) and, of course, the movie features both Freddy Fazbear and his animatronic gang and the night watchman character players usually inhabit.

    Yet therein also lies part of the problem with the film –– the games are interactive and let you fully inhabit the world, while the movie’s story puts you one step removed. And the work done to fill out the Mike character’s backstory, while extensive, ends up defeating the main object of a horror movie, rendering most of the plot singularly unscary.

    Related Article: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Trailer

    Is ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ script and direction up to the task?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    In looking to open up the world of ‘Freddy’s beyond the basic structure of players trying to avoid the roaming animatronic characters, co-writer/director Emma Tammi has come up with an elongated emotional backstory for Mike (Josh Hutcherson), in which he feels huge guilt for his younger brother’s disappearance years in the past.

    While it gives Hutcherson more to play than simply reacting to the jump scares of different scenes, it also slows the story down to such a degree that it makes the whole affair drag out a lot longer than even its 110-minute running time.

    Outside of Mike, the other characters beyond young sibling Abbi (who he’s trying to keep custody of) are largely sketches, archetypes designed to drive the plot along. Police officer Vanessa, played by Elizabeth Lail, is confoundingly unclear when it comes to filling Mike in on the dangerous backstory of Freddy’s, though that a reason for that is at least given down the line.

    Tammi and her team also rarely find a successful way to balance the tone of the movie, letting humor and pathos undercut the scares, leaving the horror aspect mostly to one or two sequences. There’s a real chance that those who are approaching the movie without an encyclopedic knowledge of the games will come away wondering if they’ve been sold a bill of goods, wondering where the creepily atmospheric horror movie the trailers promise vanishes to for a good portion of the time.

    A PG-13 rating means the kills are largely offscreen or neutered, though one effective moment, played out in shadow, works on a visceral level.

    How are the performances in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’?

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    With the lion’s share of the script material, Hutcherson has more to work with, but the story mostly makes Mike into a mopey loser desperate to understand his troubled sister and to figure out the tragedy of his past. He’s far from the most compelling character, and given he’s the core of the movie, that makes it more of a chore to sit through.

    Elsewhere, Mary Stuart Masterson has fun as Mike’s snarky, officious and scheming aunt, who wants to take custody of his sister, but she’s largely a cartoon villain. Outside of Lail’s police officer (whose constant hanging around with Mike at night when she should be on duty makes little logical sense), most of the other characters are largely fodder for the animatronic creatures to take out.

    Kudos does have to go to the Jim Henson Workshop team who bring Freddy and the rest to life –– the puppeteers and performers lend practical and physical weight to the characters, and an emotional inner life missing from some of the humans they encounter. They are, without a doubt, a highlight of the movie and sorely missed when the plot spends so much time mired in confused misery with Mike.

    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

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    What’s the story of ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’?

    Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before.

    Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

    But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa Shelly, a local police officer (Elizabeth Lail), Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.

    Who else is in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’?

    The horror movie’s cast also includes Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard, Kat Conner Sterling, Christian Stokes, Joseph Poliquin, Lucas Grant, Grant Feely, Asher Colton Spence, David Huston Doty, Liam Hendrix, Jophielle Love, Kevin Foster, Jade Kindar-Martin and Jess Weiss.

    'Five Nights at Freddy's,' from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.
    ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse in association with Striker Entertainment.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Movie Showtimes

    BuyJosh Hutcherson Movies on Amazon

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  • Josh Hutcherson: I Farted on Tom Hanks Making ‘The Polar Express’

    The best part is how Tom Hanks reacted.

    “Future Man,” which forced him to get naked. That experience “humbled” him so much, he finally felt ready to share the story of “the most embarrassing moment of my entire life.”

    The “Hunger Games” alum said he never told the story in public before, but the subject came up during his talk on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” Corden said, this time of year, “The Polar Express” is often playing on TV. Hutcherson, now 25, talked about his experience making the 2004 family film, which included some ill-timed on-set flatulence:

    “It was crazy. That was my first big movie. I was like 9-years-old, and I was working with Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks. It was motion capture so we had these dots on our face and these weird wetsuit things. It’s very, very odd experience. It was cool.”

    Until it wasn’t.

    “I was shooting this scene with Tom Hanks, who’s like the father of the world. And we’re shooting this scene where he’s playing the hobo and he’s on top of the train skiing down and I’m nestled under him like, ‘Whoa this is crazy.’ And I farted. I farted in the scene. It happened. I did it. And instead of playing it cool, Tom Hanks was like, ‘Whoa whoa, Oh my God, this kid! What the heck? Oh my God!’ My first big movie? Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis? And I just farted in his face — in his crotch!”

    (Well, that gives new meaning to the toot toot of the train engine…)

    Looking back, it’s funny, Hutcherson said, but in that moment he thought his face would sweat blood. James Corden said that level of shame allowed him to put on the prosthetic penis for “Future Man.” So it was a good learning experience all around.

    Watch Hutcherson tell the story:Watch “Future Man” on Hulu. And if you do watch “The Polar Express” this holiday season, try not to let this fart story completely dominate your thoughts.

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  • Josh Hutcherson Fights His Naked Clone in ‘Future Man’

    In Future Man,” he’s recruited via video game to save the world, a la ‘The Last Starfighter.”

    Which is a lot of fun in a “Back to the Future” kind of way. Except Marty McFly never had to fight his own clone. While nude!

    The “Hunger Games” star told Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, that in the episode (which is rated TV-MA), he was wearing a prosthetic, but the scene is still, um, revealing.

    “There are barely limits — some prosthetics really push the limits,” he joked. Here are some blurred stills via E! News, but the uncensored version is on Hulu.

    Hutcherson explained he just “kind fell into” the often raunchy series, which is produced by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen.

    “I was reading these hard-hitting, intense, indie, psychological dramas, and then this came along,” he says. “This new era of TV is really amazing and fascinating, and you have a lot more freedom to go to crazy places. Just knowing the team behind it [was appealing], and for me, looking to do something original and interesting, I never really thought about wanting to do comedy or TV. It just kinda fell into me, or I fell into it.”

    Watch the trailer for the series below:

  • Josh Hutcherson Facts: 7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About the ‘Hunger Games’ Star

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    Josh Hutcherson has been acting since the young age of nine, but it wasn’t until he took on the role of Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games” that we really let him into our hearts. So, before we say goodbye to Peeta in the final movie of the franchise, get some fun facts about the actor himself.

    Here are seven things you probably don’t know about Josh Hutcherson.Premiere Of Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" - Arrivals
    [Source: IMDB, Celebuzz]

  • ‘The Hunger Games’: 15 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About the Blockbuster Franchise

    What’s left to say about “The Hunger Games” franchise? You’ve seen the first three movies, you’ve contributed to their $2.3 billion worldwide box office haul, and you’ve helped make stars out of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.

    Still, as immersed as you’ve been in Suzanne Collins’ post-apocalyptic series of books and movies over the past few years, there are still things you may not know about the making of the four films. So before you see “Mockingjay — Part 2,” check out these 15 things you need to know about the exploits of the Girl on Fire.
    1. Among those who auditioned to play Katniss: Abigail Breslin, Chloe Grace Moretz (pictured), Emma Roberts, and Shailene Woodley.

    2. Lawrence knew just how life-changing the role of Katniss would be for her, and she responded to the offer by saying no. But then she thought about it for three days, realized she would be disappointed if she didn’t play the part, and changed her mind.

    3. To prepare for his audition for the role of Gale, Liam Hemsworth ran lines with his brother, “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth, who rehearsed as Katniss.

    4. Lawrence learned to shoot arrows from no less than five-time Olympic archer and bronze medal-winner Khatuna Lorig.

    5. During down time on the “Hunger Games” shoot, Lawrence tried to impress co-star Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) by claiming she could kick so high her foot would clear his head. It didn’t. She swatted him in the temple and knocked him out cold.
    6. According to Entertainment Weekly, during the “Hunger Games” shoot, Lawrence went to an Elvis Costello concert one night and got up on the stage to dance. No one recognized the 21-year-old, then still on the cusp of fame.

    7. Usually, second-unit directors, who film the scenic shots and other background material so that the director can focus on working with the stars, are unknowns working their way up to becoming directors. But the second-unit director on “Hunger Games” was Oscar-winning A-lister Steven Soderbergh, who came in for one day to film the District 11 riot.

    8. The elaborate costumes Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) wears in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” were borrowed from an Alexander McQueen collection.

    9. “Catching Fire” is (as of this writing) not just the highest-grossing of the “Hunger Games” films (at $425 million), it is also the highest-grossing film of 2013. It also marked the first time since “The Exorcist” in 1973 that the year’s most lucrative movie had a top-billed female protagonist.

    10. The two “Mockingjay” movies were filmed back-to-back. The epic-length production involved 152 days of shooting over the course of 10 months, in locations that included Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin.
    11. Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s death in 2014 occurred when he had just seven days of shooting left, on two scenes as game designer/rebel propagandist Plutarch Heavensbee.

    12. Initially, the filmmakers contemplated using digital trickery to generate a performance for those two “Mockingjay — Part 2” scenes (as was done for Oliver Reed when he died during production of “Gladiator”), but the scenes were ultimately rewritten so that they didn’t involve his character.

    13. “Mockingjay — Part 2” is being released throughout most of the world in 2D and 3D versions, but here, where 3D fatigue has set in, it’s just in 2D.

    14. Although Suzanne Collins wrote only three “Hunger Games” books, studio Lionsgate has announced it’s hoping to develop sequels and prequels to keep the franchise going, the way Warner Bros. is doing with “Harry Potter.”

    15. Over the next four years, Lionsgate is preparing at least three theme park attractions based on “The Hunger Games,” one in Dubai, one in Macao, and one north of Atlanta. Presumably, guests will not be forced to kill each other.

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  • Best of Late Night TV: One Direction’s New Band Member and Justin Bieber’s Secret Handshake

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.


    Please commence shaking, crying and flailing, because there’s a new member of One Direction. And he’s a potato. Soon he will be extremely famous, and in the words of Jimmy Kimmel, “might be be dating Ariana Grande.” Let’s just hope he doesn’t get murdered on Thanksgiving.
    Speaking of super famous people who teenagers are completely obsessed with (not to be confused with potatoes), The Tonight Show” and got in on a super-secret handshake with Jimmy Fallon. It was…lengthy.

    Over on “Late Night,” Josh Hutcherson chatted about living with the cast of “The Hunger Games” in a hotel. Turns out they had an open door policy so you can imagine the hijinks than ensued, amirite?
    Meanwhile, something totally amazing happened on “The Late Late Show:” Byran Cranston performed with the Grown Man Boy Band, wearing a white suit and mohawk. All you need to know is that he sang the lyrics: “I’ll make love to you in my minivan.” Blessed.
    Finally, and also on “The Late Late Show,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt kissed James Corden on the mouth. It was beautiful, so please watch.
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  • Josh Hutcherson Is ‘Really Proud’ of Jennifer Lawrence for Calling Out Sexist Wage Gap

    Comic-Con International 2015 - Lionsgate Press RoomJennifer Lawrence has received an outpouring of support following her scathing essay last week that put Hollywood on blast for its ridiculous gender-based wage gap. Now, one of her “Hunger Games” costars is also getting in on the J-Law love.

    In an interview with MTV News, Josh Hutcherson said that he was “really proud” of his pal and her “incredible” essay, agreeing with Lawrence that the sexism at play in actresses’ salaries is outrageous.

    “To even have to say the words ‘women’s pay’ sounds so backwards and f–ked up and not modern in any way, shape or form. And so for Jen to use her platform to speak about it in her classic Jen way, just blunt, saying what she thinks, I think it’s great,” Hutcherson told MTV. “Obviously it’s something that should have happened decades and decades and decades ago, and the fact that it’s something we’re still dealing with now is f–king embarrassing and shocking.”

    Hutcherson added that Lawrence, who’s known for no-holds-barred public persona, was always a little “gun-shy” about speaking out on such important issues before. But the actor said that he was happy to see her now “using her voice not just to make people laugh.”

    We’ll raise a three-fingered “Hunger Games” salute to that.

    [via: MTV News]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

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  • 7 Times You Fell Hard for Peeta Mellark While Watching ‘The Hunger Games’

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    Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) are the OTP of the “The Hunger Games.” (Sorry, Gale. There’s no room for you.)

    Chief among the many, MANY reasons as to why this is true are all the times Peeta has either a) sacrificed himself for Katniss, b) expressed his affection for Katniss, or c) shown himself to be pretty much perfect boyfriend / best friend material. For now, let’s focus on that last part and run through some of the key moments from the “Hunger Games” franchise that made us fall hard for the fabulous baker boy.

    Here, then, are just a few times your obsession with Peeta Mellark was taken to the next level.josh hutcherson as peeta mellark

  • Josh Hutcherson on Rocketing to Fame With Jennifer Lawrence: ‘We Had Each Other’

    Comic-Con International 2015 - Day 1 Even after rising to heartthrob status thanks to his role as Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games,” Josh Hutcherson has stayed humble and level-headed. His key to not getting too caught up in the spotlight is simple, but effective.

    “I think it’s all about balance,” he told Moviefone Contributing Editor Jessica Wedemeyer at this year’s Comic-Con. “It’s a world you can get really sucked into easily.”

    In addition to staying smart, he also reveals that he’s got a great support system. “Thankfully, I had a great base around me: family and friends and co-workers who I can trust. So that keeps me on track. I blame my parents for how they raised me and the ideas they gave me and all that stuff.”

    When Hutcherson originally landed his breakout role, he didn’t really know how big of a hit the movies would be. “I wasn’t really aware of what I was getting myself into when I said yes [to making ‘The Hunger Games’],” he said. “I think it’s really made me grow to learn that sometimes in life things are not really in your control. You have to learn to adapt and be happy and face the consequences — these challenges — with fervor and gumption and really just keep your way and keep your head on straight.”

    A big benefit of starring in such a franchise is making long-lasting friends and watching them grow and change right in front of your eyes. That includes Willow Shields, who plays the kid sister to Katniss Everdeen, Primrose, who Hutcherson said has changed the most since the first film came out in 2012.

    “She’s gone from being 10 to an adult now,” he said. “It’s pretty insane. She’s so intelligent and well spoken and everything. But also I think all of us have gone through big changes — Jen especially. She kind of came into the world and she got put on such an intense spotlight from this movie — and that’s a really big change to go through. But thankfully we had each other and we’ve gone through it together. That’s made it easier, for sure.”

    “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” hits theaters November 20th.
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