After decades of being mocked over their source material, video game movies are having a monster 2023 at the box office. With $574.9 million at the box office, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is second among all films domestically this year, behind only Barbie‘s $635.9 million. More surprisingly, Five Nights At Freddy’s has proven that even indie video games can become blockbuster movies, with $113.6 million in earnings since being released on October 27.
When this kind of success happens, Hollywood studios are quick to line up anything that they feel will be the next one to break out. So what’s the next Five Nights At Freddy’s? Our pick is Among Us, Innersloth’s unexpected gaming franchise. And now, we’ll share three reasons why Among Us could be the next video game movie sensation.
It has a great, low-key sci-fi premise
Among Us has a premise that sci-fi fans have seen dozens of times before, but never quite like this. The game places players in the multicolored shoes of a spaceship crew, where one or more of the players is secretly an alien impostor. The impostor’s goal is to covertly sabotage the ship, kill the other players, and prevent themselves from being exposed by deflecting blame on to the other characters.
The difference between movies like The Thing and the way that premise plays out in the game is that Among Us always plays it for laughs. Even when an innocent crewmember is ejected into outer space or brutally murdered, it’s still darkly funny thanks to the deceptively simple character designs and a lighter touch that allows it to appeal to all ages.
Never underestimate the power of brand recognition
Hollywood is always looking for the next big brand to adapt. In some ways, the studios are not unlike the aliens who devour the crew in certain incarnations of this game. Even as we speak, studio executives are likely poring over options for which video games are still available, and which ones can be made into movies and TV shows.
Among Us also had the good fortune of becoming extremely popular during the pandemic, when people were forced to stay at home. That gave the brand a boost that will be very useful when Hollywood comes calling. Which brings us to our final reason why Among Us is the next Five Nights At Friday’s.
It’s already getting an animated series
Making a live-action adaptation of Among Us wouldn’t be impossible, but it just wouldn’t be the same without those adorable, armless astronauts in brightly colored costumes. Frankly, animation is clearly the best way to adapt the game’s charms, and an animated series is already in development.
Via Variety, CBS Eye Animation Productions and Innersloth signed a deal to produce the Among Us animated series last summer. Owen Dennis, the creator of the cult fan-favorite animated series Infinity Train, will executive produce and create the Among Us cartoon. From there, it’s really not that much of a leap for Among Us to eventually get its own animated film. If the fans react positively to the animated series, then the sky’s the limit for Among Us.
