Joaquin Phoenix, left, and Todd Phillips arrive at the premiere of "Joker: Folie a Deux" on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
This weekend's movie offerings included a diverse lineup featuring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a backstory of "Saturday Night Live," and even Pharrell Williams in a Lego format. However, none of these films could compete with an unexpected contender: the horror film "Terrifier 3."
"Terrifier 3," a gritty slasher from the independent distributor Cineverse, dominated the box office, earning an impressive $18.3 million, as estimated on Sunday. This sequel to 2022's "Terrifier 2," which made $15 million globally, reintroduces the infamous Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, who wreaks havoc disguised as Santa at a Christmas gathering.
The success of "Terrifier 3," which exceeded expectations and outperformed major studio releases, is partly due to the struggles of "Joker: Folie à Deux." The sequel to the acclaimed "Joker" experienced a sharp decline in its second weekend, grossing only $7.1 million after a staggering 81% drop from its initial earnings. The film, featuring Phoenix and Lady Gaga, received a disappointing "D" CinemaScore from viewers.
This kind of steep decline is rare for superhero films, especially following a major hit like the 2019 original, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. With a much larger production budget of around $200 million, "Joker: Folie à Deux" now appears headed for significant financial trouble, having made just $165.3 million globally.
“This weekend is certainly unusual,” remarked Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore. He noted that if asked a week ago if "Terrifier 3" would be the top film among such strong competitors, few would have believed it. This scenario highlights that audiences ultimately decide which films succeed.
As "Joker" faltered, the animated feature "The Wild Robot" from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks secured second place with $13.4 million in its third weekend, accumulating $83.7 million domestically. The film, which features Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of its robotic lead, has received positive reviews.
Meanwhile, "The Apprentice," a film about a young Donald Trump, opened poorly in tenth place with just $1.6 million. Despite its buzz from debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, audiences showed little interest in this political origin story just before the election.
The ensemble film "Saturday Night," directed by Jason Reitman, underperformed with a mere $3.4 million from 2,288 theaters. Similarly, the Lego-animated documentary "Piece by Piece," directed by Morgan Neville, earned $3.8 million. Although this was low for a Lego movie, it performed well for a documentary, receiving an “A” CinemaScore from audiences.
In terms of box office performance, this weekend saw a significant drop compared to last year, down 45%, as the industry grapples with lackluster releases. Final domestic figures will be available on Monday.
