Summary

• The destruction of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria at the end of the first Five Nights at Freddy's movie suggests a new location will be introduced in the second movie.
• Given FNAF's Circus Baby's Easter egg, it's possible that Five Nights at Freddy's 2 will pull from FNAF: Sister Location.
• Using Sister Location as a template will allow the sequel to stand apart from the first FNAF movie.

The Five Nights at Freddy's broke box office records, ultimately grossing a staggering $297.2 million at the box office. While critics slammed the movie for its tone and material, fans of the series clearly flocked to theaters. The FNAF movie's success was further bolstered by its release on streaming. Unsurprisingly, it was quickly green-lit for a sequel.

Like Cawthon's original game, Five Nights at Freddy's unfolds at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a once-successful pizzeria populated by animatronics. Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike Schmidt, a down-on-his-luck security guard who takes a job at the abandoned pizzeria so that his odds of keeping custody of his sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), improve. It becomes clear that Fazbear's, and its proprietor, William Afton (Matthew Lillard), are tied to the disappearance and murder of several children — as well as what happened to Mike's brother Garret before FNAF. Ultimately, all of this sets up an exciting sequel premise.

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's Destruction Teases A New Location For FNAF 2

Sister Location Would Be The Perfect Setting For Five Nights At Freddy's 2

In Five Nights at Freddy's animatronics are all possessed by the spirits of Afton's other child victims. Wearing his terrifying Spring Bonnie suit, William Afton tries to claim Mike's sister, Abby, as his next victim. Eventually, Abby reveals the truth about Afton to the animatronics, prompting them to turn on the serial murderer. As his spring-lock suit malfunctions, Afton is seemingly crushed to death.

This development perfectly sets the stage for a new location to be explored in Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

As the animatronics drag a dying William Afton into the pizzeria's depths, Abby and Mike carry a comatose Vanessa out of the building. As they emerge from the pizzeria, it collapses behind them. There's no denying that Freddy Fazbear's — William Afton's long-time cover story — is pretty destroyed by the end of the first Five Nights at Freddy's movie. This development perfectly sets the stage for a new location to be explored in Five Nights at Freddy's 2. With a new premise and setting, FNAF 2 can avoid the Rotten Tomatoes disaster of its predecessor.

Five Nights At Freddy's Set Up A Sister Location Sequel

Circus Baby's Cameo In The FNAF Movie Teases Sister Location

Packed with references to the video games, one of Five Nights at Freddy's Easter eggs also points toward a new setting for the movie's highly anticipated sequel. In one scene, Mike stumbles upon deactivated animatronics in one of Fazbear's storage areas — including a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash of Circus Baby. In the games, Circus Baby is responsible for murdering William Afton's daughter (Elizabeth, not Vanessa), so the animatronic is certainly worth exploring. More importantly, Circus Baby has a direct connection to Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, which is set at Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental.

Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Adapting Sister Location Would Be Smart

A New Setting Can Help FNAF's Sequel Stand Apart From The First Movie

In the wake of the pizzeria's destruction, FNAF's Circus Baby Easter egg teases a perfect sequel premise. Although the first FNAF movie borrowed from the games' lore, it set up its own canon, which allows Five Nights at Freddy's 2 to build on the first film using Sister Location's unique twists. In Sister Location, Mike is hired to perform maintenance on the animatronics from Circus Baby's Pizza World. Not only does Sister Location introduce Circus Baby to the world of FNAF, but it also establishes the haunting Ennard, an amalgam of the animatronics, thus raising the stakes for the sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.