‘Terrifier 3’ surpasses ‘Joker’ to lead box office, Trump movie ‘The Apprentice’ flops
Date
10/14/2024 5:38:05 AM
(MENAFN) This weekend’s movie marquee featured a diverse selection of films, including Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the Joker, a biopic about Donald Trump, an origin story for "Saturday Night Live," and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego character. However, all these films were overshadowed by the unexpected success of a low-budget horror movie, “Terrifier 3,” which topped the weekend box office with an impressive USD18.3 million. This sequel to the 2022 film “Terrifier 2,” which earned USD15 million globally, features the infamous Art the Clown (played by David Howard Thornton) wreaking havoc at a Christmas party while disguised as Santa Claus.
“Terrifier 3’s” triumph can be partly attributed to the disappointing performance of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The sequel to Todd Phillips’ highly successful 2019 film, which starred Phoenix and Lady Gaga, started poorly and faced an astounding 81 percent drop in its second weekend, bringing in only USD7.1 million after a “D” CinemaScore from audiences. Such a steep decline is unusual for superhero films, especially considering other recent disappointments like “The Marvels,” “The Flash,” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” which all had better second-weekend performances. Given that the original “Joker” grossed over USD1 billion worldwide on a USD60 million budget, the sequel’s estimated production cost of about USD200 million makes its current total of USD165.3 million in global ticket sales particularly concerning.
"This is an outlier of a weekend if ever there was one," remarked Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore. He noted the surprising nature of “Terrifier 3” taking the number one spot amid major studio releases and awards contenders. Dergarabedian emphasized that audience preference ultimately dictates box office success, showcasing how unexpected films can resonate with viewers.
Following closely behind “Terrifier 3,” the animated film “The Wild Robot,” produced by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, secured second place in its third weekend with USD13.4 million. The movie, based on Peter Brown’s book and featuring the voice of Lupita Nyong’o as the robot protagonist, has received strong reviews, contributing to a total of USD83.7 million domestically and USD148 million globally. In contrast, the film “The Apprentice,” which depicts the early life of Donald Trump, debuted in a distant tenth place, garnering only USD1.6 million in ticket sales. The lack of audience enthusiasm for this election-year origin story highlights the challenging landscape for films tied to current political figures.
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