Terrifier 3 would carve its way to the top of this weekend’s box office with its ultra-gory and independently made slasher theme about a demonic clown brutally slaughtering a small town after coming out with an impressive $18.3 million opening from 2,514 theaters.
It seems starkly ironic that Joker: Folie à Deux, such an eagerly awaited sequel with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, was hit with one of the worst second-weekend drops in the box office history. It plummeted 81 percent from that opening weekend of $37.8 million down to $7 million. That’s one of the biggest drops for a wide release with an opening weekend of $30 million or more.
Terrifier 3, with a combined cost of just $2.5 million for both production and marketing, was way ahead of the domestic total of its predecessor, Terrifier 2, at $10.6 million. This is due to very positive reviews and excellent word of mouth based on an apparently passionate fan base.
In contrast, Joker: Folie à Deux gained negative remarks and what was described as a rather flat reception from viewers, and it sent its ranking crashing in the box office. This now places the film at the list of biggest second-weekend drops for the superhero genre, even surpassing last year’s flops.
With the evolution of the box office, we’ll get to see if Terrifier 3 can keep its momentum going and if Joker: Folie à Deux can rebound and get back on the track it was headed with its disappointing run.