Unrated horror ‘Terrifier 3’ rules North American box office as ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ endures historic drop by: Screen Daily
The only maniacal clown laughing at the North American box office over the weekend was Art as unrated horror Terrifier 3opened top on an estimated $18.3m, while Joker: Folie à Deux tumbled in a catastrophic second weekend for a character from a superhero franchise.
Damien Leone’s low-cost slasher film – reportedly in the region of $2m – starring David Howard Thornton as the homicidal Art the Clown who goes on the rampage on Christmas Eve and Lauren LaVera as ‘final girl’ Sienna debuted on 1,988 screens in a rare big theatrical play for Cineverse, led by former MGM COO Chris McGurk.
Terrifier 3 earned $5.8m on Friday, $5.9m on Saturday, and $4.1m on Sunday on the back of strong reviews and a B CInemaScore. Opening in partnership with the horror portal Bloody Disgusting and in association with Iconic Events Releasing, McGurk and his team targeted the Bloody Disgusting community and played on the franchise’s notoriety as they boosted awareness through street activations.