‘Terrifier 3’ Carves Up $18.3 Million Opening as ‘Joker 2’ Suffers Record Box Office Drop
“Folie a Deux” falls 81% from its opening weekend, the highest percentage ever for a film with a $30 million-plus opening
This weekend’s box office is a tale of two clowns, as Cineverse/Bloody Disgusting’s “Terrifier 3” has become a can’t-miss film for horror fans with a $18.3 million opening weekend from 2,514 theaters while Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie a Deux” has suffered one of the worst second weekend drops ever seen for a wide release.
Todd Phillips’ $190 million sequel to “Joker,” the first R-rated film to gross $1 billion worldwide, has fallen 81% from its $37.8 million opening weekend to just $7 million. According to data from Box Office Mojo and exhibitor sources, that will be the worst second weekend percentage drop for any wide release with an opening weekend of $30 million or more if it stands after Monday actuals are reported.
“Terrifier 3,” meanwhile, a film with a combined production and marketing spend of just $2.5 million, has completely eclipsed the $10.6 million domestic total of “Terrifier 2.” Even if it sees its second weekend numbers fall off a cliff due to not having a significant group of interested moviegoers beyond hardcore fans, Damien Leone’s slasher film is still enjoying a massive return on investment, having earned higher opening weekends than this year’s Blumhouse films “Speak No Evil” and “Night Swim.”
In non-clown news, Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” continues to leg out spectacularly through its widespread acclaim, dropping just 29% in its third weekend to $13.5 million. The film is also being aided by a significant number of kids being off school on Monday for Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, increasing matinee turnout.
With running estimated totals of $83.7 million domestic and $148.4 million worldwide for “The Wild Robot,” DreamWorks has greenlit a sequel for the film.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” continues to be a respite for Warner Bros. amid the failure of “Joker 2,” grossing $7.1 million in its sixth weekend as it continues to leg out as a Halloween offering. While primarily an American hit with only just $137.5 million grossed overseas and $415 million worldwide, the sequel’s $275 million domestic total puts it on the threshold of passing “Dune: Part Two” as Warner’s highest grossing film this year in the U.S. and Canada.
Completing the top 5 is Focus Features’ “Piece By Piece,” a Lego animated documentary about Grammy-winning musician Pharrell Williams opening to $3.8 million from 1,851 theaters. The newcomer just edged out Paramount’s “Transformers One,” which earned $3.6 million in its fourth weekend for a disappointing $52.8 million domestic total.
A grab bag of wide releases and specialty offerings fill out the rest of the top 10, with Sony/Columbia’s “Saturday Night” in seventh with a muted $3.5 million opening weekend from 2,309 theaters after a platform release in Los Angeles and New York last weekend.
