Art the Clown steals Christmas (and the box office!) as ‘Terrifier 3’ outshines ‘Joker’

In a surprising twist at the box office this weekend, the low-budget slasher film Terrifier 3 managed to defeat Hollywood heavyweights and leap to No. 1, pulling in an impressive USD 18.3 million. The film, distributed by Cineverse, builds on the cult following of its predecessor, Terrifier 2, and sees Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, return with a twisted holiday twist—this time wreaking havoc as Santa at a Christmas party.

What’s more astonishing than the film’s gore-laden thrills is its ability to outpace major productions like Joker: Folie à Deux, the much-anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar hit Joker (2019). In its second weekend, Joker: Folie à Deux collapsed at the box office, seeing a staggering 81 per cent drop and earning just USD 7.1 million. This steep decline is almost unprecedented for a superhero film, particularly for a sequel of such a massively successful original. Despite an all-star cast including Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the film’s initial momentum was crippled by mixed reception.

While the poor performance of Joker left room for Terrifier 3 to shine, the weekend also saw a positive response for The Wild Robot, an animated film from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks. In its third week, it earned USD 13.5 million, bringing its global total to USD 148 million, thanks to rave reviews and strong family appeal. Lupita Nyong’o voices the titular robot in this heartwarming adaptation of Peter Brown’s acclaimed book, helping secure its second-place position at the box office.

On the other end of the spectrum, Donald Trump’s political biopic The Apprentice barely made a dent in theatres, debuting at a distant 10th place with a meager USD 1.6 million. Directed by Ali Abbasi, the film stars Sebastian Stan as Trump during his formative years, focusing on his relationship with notorious lawyer Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong. Despite the buzz from its Cannes Film Festival debut and its timing ahead of the U.S. presidential election, The Apprentice failed to attract moviegoers. Many speculated that its political nature turned off both conservative and liberal audiences.

Elsewhere, Saturday Night, a comedy-drama chronicling the early days of Saturday Night Live, also struggled to gain traction. With a modest USD 3.4 million in its nationwide expansion, the Jason Reitman-directed film, featuring Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, will need to resonate with audiences more if it hopes to become an awards-season contender.

In a more creative niche, Piece by Piece, a Pharrell Williams documentary-biopic hybrid animated in Lego form, pulled in $3.8 million. Though not a massive hit for an animated film, this debut marked a success for a documentary-style film. Directed by Morgan Neville, the movie received the highest audience score of the weekend and is expected to have a long tail in theaters due to strong word of mouth.

Despite these releases, the box office has continued to struggle compared to last year, when Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour provided a significant boost. This year, even the Halloween season couldn’t revive the ailing box office, with receipts down 45 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. While smaller horror films like Terrifier 3 have become unexpected champions, major studio films like Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis continue to underwhelm.

For now, it seems that low-budget horror is one of the few genres able to cut through the noise of an increasingly unpredictable box office.

Top 10 Box Office Performances This Weekend:

1. Terrifier 3 – $18.3 million

2. The Wild Robot – $13.5 million

3. Joker: Folie à Deux – $7.1 million

4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – $7.1 million

5. Piece by Piece – $3.8 million

6. Transformers One – $3.7 million

7. Saturday Night – $3.4 million

8. My Hero Academia: You’re Next – $3 million

9. Nightmare Before Christmas – $2.3 million

10. The Apprentice – $1.6 million