What To Watch This Weekend: 'Five Nights At Freddy's 2,' 'Merrily We Roll Along, 'Fraggle Rock' And More

HOLLYWOOD, CA — From haunted sequels to holiday sparkle, this weekend’s watchlist spans reclamation, satire, biography, puppetry and romance — streaming now or arriving in select theaters.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” deepens the lore. Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail return to Emma Tammi’s neon‑lit nightmare, where animatronics stalk and mythology expands. The cast deliver jolts of genuine fun, even as coherence frays.

“Merrily We Roll Along” revives Stephen Sondheim’s once‑dismissed 1981 Broadway musical. Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez embody friendship unraveling in reverse, with Maria Friedman’s lens turning regret into revelation.

“Fackham Hall” gleefully skewers the aristocratic world of “Downton Abbey.” Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston headline Jim O’Hanlon’s parody, layering slapstick and satire over aristocratic trappings.

“Sarah’s Oil” dramatizes discovery. Naya Desir‑Johnson shines as Sarah Rector, the Oklahoma girl whose land revealed oil and wealth, in Cyrus Nowrasteh’s sweeping Prime original.

“The First Snow of Fraggle Rock” celebrates the holiday season with a timeless story of friendship and wonder, where Jim Henson’s beloved Fraggles turn a single snowflake into song, warmth and cheer.

“Jingle Bell Heist” wraps romance in caper. Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells plot a Christmas Eve robbery, only to find sparks amid twinkling mischief.

Ready to dive in? Scroll down for the full lineup — and step into the shimmering world of storytelling, where every frame is an escape, with deeper explorations of each film below that unpack performances, themes and craft in greater detail.

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What To Watch This Weekend

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”

Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail; directed by Emma Tammi

The killer animatronics return in “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” a sequel that expands the haunted mythology but stumbles under its own weight. Emma Tammi’s film picks up after the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, with Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) struggling to move forward while his sister Abby drifts back into the orbit of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy.

Hutcherson brings weary gravitas to Mike, Elizabeth Lail adds urgency, and Matthew Lillard’s shadow looms over the story. The animatronics remain grotesque spectacle, yet the sheer number of characters and plot threads dilutes the tension. Tammi’s vision of eerie clashes between neon glow and holiday cheer lights up the screen vividly, even as narrative clutter overwhelms their impact. The result is a sequel that feels more like fan service than fright.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” deepens the mythology but sacrifices coherence, proving that sometimes surviving the night means enduring chaos rather than terror.

“Merrily We Roll Along”

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Linday Mendez; directed by Maria Friedman

Stephen Sondheim’s most elusive musical finally finds its cinematic voice in “Merrily We Roll Along,” a cinematic rendering of the Broadway revival that reignited his misunderstood work. Maria Friedman’s direction embraces the show’s reverse chronology, tracing the unraveling of friendship and ambition from bitter middle age back to youthful promise.

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez embody the trio of dreamers with aching precision. Groff’s Franklin is a man hollowed by success, Radcliffe’s Charley bristles with righteous fury, and Mendez’s Mary carries the bruised heart of the story. Together, they chart the erosion of idealism with performances that feel lived‑in, raw and unvarnished.

The camera lingers on faces, gestures and silences, allowing Sondheim’s score — “Not a Day Goes By,” “Old Friends,” “Our Time” — to resonate with fresh poignancy. What was once dismissed as a flop now emerges as a meditation on time’s cruel inversion, where joy recedes and regret advances.

“Merrily We Roll Along” emerges as more than a filmed musical; it stands as a reclamation. Through Friedman’s direction, Sondheim’s fatalism is reshaped into transformative storytelling, showing that even told in reverse, the effect remains piercingly poignant.

“Fackham Hall”

Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston; directed by Jim O’Hanlon

“Fackham Hall” arrives as a broad parody of British period dramas, gleefully skewering the aristocratic world of “Downton Abbey” and its imitators. Written by Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers, the film sets its satire in a 1930s manor where the Davenport family faces the epic disaster of a wedding gone wrong. Into this chaos steps a new porter, whose bond with the youngest daughter sparks both romance and ridicule.

Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston lead a cast that includes Thomasin McKenzie and Tom Felton, all playing their roles with straight‑faced absurdity. Director Jim O’Hanlon embraces the tradition of “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun,” layering slapstick, wordplay and Monty Python‑style irreverence over the stately trappings of high society.

Notably, the sheer density of gags and storylines sometimes overwhelms the narrative, leaving the jokes wobbly and flat. Despite it all, “Fackham Hall” remains disposably fun that rarely fails to amuse with a buoyant satire.

“Sarah’s Oil”

Naya Desir‑Johnson, Zachary Levi; directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh

“Sarah’s Oil,” a Prime original, dramatizes the remarkable true story of Sarah Rector, the 11‑year‑old African American girl from Oklahoma whose barren land allotment revealed oil beneath its surface and transformed her into one of the nation’s youngest millionaires. Adapted from Tonya Bolden’s book “Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America,” the film blends historical detail with a sweeping biographical arc.

Naya Desir‑Johnson plays Sarah with luminous conviction, charting her journey from obscurity to sudden wealth. Zachary Levi brings charm as Bert, the wildcatter who helps uncover the oil, while Sonequa Martin‑Green and Garret Dillahunt round out a cast that grounds the story in both family and conflict. The drama unfolds against the backdrop of early 20th‑century Oklahoma, where corrupt oil magnates circle and Sarah must fight to protect her inheritance.

Cyrus Nowrasteh’s direction is earnest but heavy‑handed, with scenes that linger on historical detail at the expense of momentum. The screenplay, while faithful to Bolden’s work, struggles to balance biography with cinematic urgency, resulting in stretches that feel more dutiful than dynamic.

Despite these flaws, “Sarah’s Oil” remains inspiring, buoyed by strong performances.

“The First Snow of Fraggle Rock”

Voices of John Tartaglia, Karen Prell; produced by The Jim Henson Company

“The First Snow of Fraggle Rock,” an Apple TV holiday original, reunites Jim Henson’s beloved Fraggles for a seasonal special that mixes music, whimsy and gentle lessons. The story finds Gobo preparing the annual holiday song when only a single snowflake arrives instead of the expected snowfall. His search for inspiration takes him to “Outer Space” — the human world — while back at the Gorgs’ castle, Junior faces the arrival of a new baby sibling.

The special brings together the familiar ensemble — Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober — alongside a cameo by Lele Pons, who duets with Gobo on “Our Melody” and joins in new numbers like “Can You Feel It.” The production leans into nostalgia, with colorful sets and puppetry that recall the original series, while layering in contemporary musical flourishes.

With its blend of classic characters, new music and holiday themes, “The First Snow of Fraggle Rock” positions itself as a family‑friendly event that celebrates tradition while inviting a new generation to discover the joy of Fraggle Rock. The promise of warmth, song and a single snowflake carrying the weight of holiday magic makes this special a highlight of the season.

“Jingle Bell Heist”

Olivia Holt, Connor Swindells; directed by Michael Fimognari

“Jingle Bell Heist,” a Netflix original, blends holiday romance with caper comedy in a festive London setting. Written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed, the film follows Sophia (Olivia Holt), a sharp‑witted retail worker, and Nick (Connor Swindells), a down‑on‑his‑luck repairman. Both eye the same Christmas Eve score: robbing the city’s most notorious department store. Forced into an uneasy alliance, their plan collides with secrets and sparks of romance, turning the heist into a holiday heart‑throb.

Holt and Swindells bring charm to the leads, while Lucy Punch and Peter Serafinowicz add comic bite to the supporting cast. Michael Fimognari, known for “To All the Boys” sequels, shoots London in twinkling hues, transforming Brixton streets into a playground of yuletide mischief. The soundtrack by Steve Hackman layers carols with caper beats, underscoring the film’s playful tone.

The heist premise, initially promising, becomes undercooked, with the romance overwhelming the crime caper. Yet despite uneven plotting and formulaic holiday fare, “Jingle Bell Heist” delights with seasonal sparkles. The result is a rom‑com that may stumble as a caper but rarely fails to amuse as holiday escapism.

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