Tis the season for clowns… and while “Joker: Folie à Deux” supposedly reigns supreme as the Clown Prince of Cinema, an even more horrific harlequin is taking the box office by storm.
“Terrifier 3” – a bloody, low-budget horror film about a serial killer dressed as a clown – hit the box office last week and has already surpassed ‘Joker 2’… grossing $18 million while ‘Joker 2’ only earned $7 million this weekend.
TMZ. with
We sat with David Howard Thornton — who played Art the Clown in all three ‘Terrifer’ films — and he tells us he’s surprised… calling it the David and Goliath showdown of a small independent film versus a big studio project.
DHT attributes the success to two things: the ‘Terrifier’ series’ rabid fan base and staying true to the soul of the films.
David says the film was approached by studios with financing offers, but the financiers wanted to change the films in a way that made the creative team uncomfortable… so they turned down the offers.
David says he thinks a big problem with movie theaters is that studios aren’t making movies that people need to watch in large groups…so there’s less incentive to go out and see a movie. He says “Terrifier 3” is best when watched as a group – a big plus in his column.
By the way… David has a lot to say about the Joker movies – watch until the end to find out why he’s so shocked that the sequel is a flop.
As you may know… “Joker: Folie à Deux” had a terrible opening week at the box office and looks set to lose a lot of money. Sources told media outlets how Variety the film needs to earn $450 million to break even. To date, it has only grossed around $215 million worldwide.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” has just 33% on Rotten Tomatoes – and a terrible score on the review aggregator.
In short, “Terrifier 3” is hot… although we imagine Warner Bros. be more scared about the box office receipts of the new movie ‘Joker’!