While the industry was still reeling from the record-breaking commercial failure of Joker: Folie à Deux, another clown-centric film emerged only a week later to revive its spirits. The unrated horror film Terrifier 3 delivered an unexpectedly robust $19 million debut in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, nearly doubling the $11 million projections heading into the weekend. Since then, Terrifier 3 has earned over $25 million globally, pushing the niche franchise’s cumulative gross past an impressive milestone.
With $23 million domestically and another $2.5 million from overseas markets, the film’s cumulative global haul stands at $26 million in under a week of release. Terrifier 3 was distributed by Cineverse, which utilized an inventive marketing strategy to lure not only long-standing fans of the series, but also other horror aficionados. Terrifier 3 was sold directly to horror audiences via the company’s expansive media ecosystem, just like the second film, which served as proof of concept that such a promotional strategy could work. But it did, with the film debuting at the top of the box office charts this past weekend.
The film’s success has pushed the franchise’s total global haul past the $42 million mark. Orchestrated by Damien Leone, the Terrifier series debuted on the big screen back in 2018. The first film was a bust, but it gained prominence on digital streaming platforms thanks to its anarchic tone, and its instantly iconic central antagonist, Art the Clown. Terrifier 2 debuted in 2022, and made a solid $10 million-plus domestically in its theatrical run. The movie was produced on a reported budget of just $250,000.
The ‘Terrifier’ Movies Have Transcended Cult Fandom
By comparison, Terrifier 3cost a reported $2 million to produce, and came with a marketing budget of half-a-million dollars. The film opened to positive reviews – it holds a 74% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes – but its audience response stands at an impressive 88%. Terrifier 3 has earned the platform’s newly unveiled “verified hot” badge of honor, in addition to a B CinemaScore, which is sort of incredible for a horror title, especially one this extreme. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Terrifier 3
Terrifier 3 follows survivors Sienna and her brother as they attempt to recover from their traumatic encounter with the sinister Art the Clown. As the holiday season arrives, their efforts to find peace are shattered when Art returns, intent on turning their Christmas into a new nightmare.
- Director
- Damien Leone
- Cast
- Lauren LaVera , David Howard Thornton , Antonella Rose , Elliott Fullam , Samantha Scaffidi , Margaret Anne Florence , Bryce Johnson , Alexa Blair Robertson , Mason Mecartea , Krsy Fox , Luciana VanDette , Clint Howard , Bradley Stryker , Daniel Roebuck , Chris Jericho , Tom Savini , Jason Patric , Alex Ross , Kailey Hyman , Kellen Raffaelo , Lisa Marie Falcone , Stephen Cofield Jr. , Corrine Kelly , Joe Falcone , Peter Mitchell , Marie Maser , Jon Abrahams
