Quote from Alex bobby on October 16, 2024, 9:00 AM

This past weekend’s box office witnessed an unexpected twist as “Terrifier 3,” a low-budget slasher movie, stunned Hollywood by taking the number one spot with $18.3 million in ticket sales. Competing against major studio films like “Joker: Folie a Deux” and award season hopefuls, it was the gory horror flick that emerged victorious, proving that horror continues to be a force to reckon with in theaters.

A Gruesome Holiday Slasher Triumphs

“Terrifier 3,” a sequel to 2022’s “Terrifier 2,” returns with its bloodthirsty killer, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), this time masquerading as Santa Claus at a Christmas party. Distributed by the small company Cineverse, the film vastly outperformed expectations. Its $18.3 million debut was fueled by a loyal fanbase, solidifying the film's place in the slasher genre while demonstrating the growing trend of low-budget horror films surpassing big-budget blockbusters.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, called it “an outlier of a weekend.” Few could have predicted that “Terrifier 3” would outshine both big studio releases and films aimed at the awards circuit, but it highlights the unpredictability of moviegoing audiences.

“Joker” Sequel Crashes Hard

On the flip side, the much-anticipated “Joker: Folie a Deux,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, suffered a disastrous second weekend. After opening with much fanfare, the Warner Bros. release plummeted 81%, earning just $7.1 million. For a superhero sequel, such a drop is almost unheard of. The original “Joker” film, released in 2019, was a cultural phenomenon, grossing over $1 billion. Its sequel, however, has struggled to replicate that success, collecting only $165.3 million globally against its $200 million budget—a figure that signals impending financial disaster.

The poor reception, reflected by a low “D” CinemaScore from audiences, suggests that the sequel didn’t resonate as expected. With films like “The Marvels” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” performing better in their second weekends, “Joker: Folie a Deux” seems set to end as one of the year’s biggest disappointments.

A Mixed Weekend for Other Releases

The weekend wasn’t entirely bleak for all films. Universal Pictures’ “The Wild Robot,” an animated feature voiced by Lupita Nyong’o, continued its strong run with $13.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $83.7 million. The film’s positive reviews and family-friendly appeal have allowed it to steadily climb, positioning it as a box office success as it nears $150 million worldwide.

However, films like “The Apprentice,” a young Donald Trump biopic, and Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” a behind-the-scenes drama about “Saturday Night Live’s” first airing in 1975, struggled to make a significant mark. “The Apprentice,” which opened in 1,740 theaters, only managed $1.6 million, while “Saturday Night” earned a modest $3.4 million. Both films may rely heavily on awards buzz to sustain their run in theaters.

Pharrell Williams’ Lego Docu-Biopic Offers a Bright Spot

One surprise of the weekend was “Piece by Piece,” a hybrid documentary and biopic about Pharrell Williams, animated in Lego form. Though it opened with a relatively modest $3.8 million, it received the weekend’s highest CinemaScore (an “A”) from audiences, which could give it long-term staying power. As a documentary, its debut was particularly strong, and it’s poised to become one of the top-grossing documentaries of the year.

A Struggling Fall Box Office

Overall, the fall box office has struggled to gain momentum. Big-budget flops like “Joker: Folie a Deux” and “Megalopolis” have contributed to a slower-than-expected season, with ticket sales down 45% compared to the same weekend last year. While low-budget horror continues to succeed, Hollywood is searching for a major hit to rejuvenate the season. Without a phenomenon like Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” which gave a massive boost to the box office this time last year, it’s unclear if upcoming releases will be able to reverse the trend.

In conclusion

the box office’s surprise victor, “Terrifier 3,” underscores the unpredictable nature of moviegoing audiences, where low-budget horrors can triumph over heavily marketed blockbusters. The sharp decline of “Joker: Folie a Deux” highlights the risks even major studios face when trying to follow up on past successes. Meanwhile, other films like “The Wild Robot” and “Piece by Piece” show that there’s still room for variety, with family-friendly animation and innovative documentaries carving out their own space. As Hollywood braces for the remainder of the fall, the success of smaller films offers a glimmer of hope in a season otherwise filled with major studio misfires.