Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 Breaks Rotten Tomatoes Record For Critic-Audience Divide

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has broken a major record on Rotten Tomatoes with the massive divide between its critic and audience scores. A sequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023), the new horror film has been excoriated by critics but, released in theaters on December 5, has been received rather well by audiences, especially fans of the video game franchise.

Now, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has a 15% critics score and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, breaking the all-time record for the biggest divide between the two (an astounding 72%). The previous record holder was The Boondock Saints (1999), which has a 65% difference between its 26% critics and 91% audience scores.

The first Five Nights at Freddy’s film also divided critics and audiences, with a 53% difference between its 33% and 86% scores on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of writing, the sequel has 100 reviews and 2,500+ verified ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, so its scores are subject to change.

Directed by Emma Tammi, with a script written by franchise creator Scott Cawthon based on the series’ second video game, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 follows Abby Schmidt (Piper Rubio) one year after the first film as she reunites with her animatronic friends, setting off a chain of events that uncover the origins of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 cast also includes Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Theodus Crane, and Kellen Goff reprising their roles from the first film, with Skeet Ulrich, Mckenna Grace, Teo Briones, Freddy Carter, Wayne Knight, and Megan Fox joining the cast. Matthew “MatPat” Patrick takes over as the voice of Toy Bonnie.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2‘s reviews from critics call it a downgrade from the already awkward original, stumbling through the routine of a sequel with the finesse of a glitching animatronic.

On the other hand, audience reviews consistently praise the animatronics, atmosphere, and fan-service – saying that the sequel delivers the scares, Easter eggs, and visual style that longtime players had hoped for. While many acknowledge its uneven pacing, thin writing, and lore changes, they still describe the experience as fun, nostalgic, and exciting – especially when shared with other fans.

The divide between critics and audiences mainly stems from expectations. While faithful fans mainly want Easter eggs, creepy set pieces, and an expanded universe, critics judge it as a standalone film with weak storytelling and clunky structure. For fans invested in the world of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2emotional attachment outweighs any traditional cinematic shortcomings.

Release Date

December 5, 2025

Director

Emma Tammi

Writers

Scott Cawthon

Producers

Jason Blum, Scott Cawthon

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  Matthew Lillard

  William Afton