It’s that time of year for clowns … and although “Joker: Folie à Deux” was meant to dominate as the Clown Prince of Filmmaking, a more terrifying jester is taking over the box office.
“Terrifier 3” — a low-budget gruesome horror movie featuring a serial killer disguised as a clown — debuted at the box office this past week, outpacing ‘Joker 2’ with an impressive $18 million, compared to ‘Joker 2’s’ mere $7 million this weekend.
TMZ.com
We caught up with David Howard Thornton — the talented actor portraying Art the Clown in all three ‘Terrifier’ installments — who expressed his astonishment … comparing this phenomenon to a David versus Goliath clash between a small indie production and a grand studio venture.
DHT credits their success to two key factors — the passionate fanbase of the ‘Terrifier’ franchise and staying true to the essence of the films.
David mentioned that various studios approached them with offers of funding, but the investors aimed to alter the films in ways that the creative team found unsettling … resulting in the rejection of those proposals.
David observes that a significant issue within theaters is that studios are failing to produce content that encourages audiences to gather in large numbers … leading to a diminished motivation to experience films on the big screen. He argues “Terrifier 3” is at its finest when viewed collectively — a significant benefit for them.
By the way … David has a lot to share about the ‘Joker’ films — make sure to catch the end to discover what has him so surprised about the sequel’s failure.
As is widely known … “Joker: Folie à Deux” suffered a lackluster opening week at the box office, placing it on track to incur significant financial loss. Sources have informed publications like Variety that the film must earn $450 million to break even, yet it has only accumulated approximately $215 million globally thus far.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” boasts only a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — resulting in a dismal score on the review aggregator.
In conclusion, “Terrifier 3” has become a sensational hit … while we can only speculate that Warner Bros. executives may be feeling quite anxious about the box office returns of the new ‘Joker’ film!