‘Joker 2’ Plummets, Clown Slasher ‘Terrifier 3’ Goes No. 1

In its second week of release, Joker 2: Folie à Deux has been dethroned by Terrifier 3 as America’s top theatrical clown, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Todd Phillips-directed Joker earned just $7M this week, representing an 81% decline in what is now the largest second-weekend decline in comic film history (ousting The Marvels, which held the record at 78%). This box office decay was also represented internationally, with Joker 2 earning $21.9M for a foreign total of $113.7M across 77 markets.

The third film in the gruesome slasher series Terrifier, helmed by Art the Clown, grossed $19M in its first weekend for the highest box office performance of the weekend. It beat weekend estimates of $18.3M and premiered across 2,514 theaters domestically.

In the wake of its continued success, The Wild Robot sits at No. 2 for the week, earning $14M for a domestic total of $90M. Likewise, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice remains a strong box office performer in its sixth week, landing the No. 3 spot with $7.3M grossed for a $278M domestic total. Both of these films sit ahead of Joker 2 in its record slide.

Pharrell William’s Lego Movie biography Piece by Piece made its debut to the tune of $3.9M, with voice acting features from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg.

Based on the life of former U.S. President Donald Trump, The Apprentice debuted below expectation, earning just $1.6M across 1,740 theaters. This follows a rocky production phase for the film, during which Donald Trump himself attempted to have the film barred from playing in theaters. Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the film with only five weeks to sell and resorted to a Kickstarter campaign for marketing costs.

Top ten domestic box office performers for the weekend of October 11-13:

1. Terrifier 3 – Weekend Gross: $19M, Total Gross: $25M
2. The Wild Robot – Weekend Gross: $14M, Total Gross: $90M
3. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Weekend Gross: $7.3M, Total Gross: $278M
4. Joker: Folie à Deux – Weekend Gross: $7M, Total Gross: $54M
5. Piece by Piece – Weekend Gross: $3.9M, Total Gross: $5.2M
6. Transformers One – Weekend Gross: $3.8M, Total Gross: $54M
7. Saturday Night – Weekend Gross: $3.4M, Total Gross: $5.5M
8. My Hero Academia: You’re Next – Weekend Gross: $3M, Total Gross: $3.8M
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas – Weekend Gross: $2.4M, Total Gross: $91M
10. The Apprentice – Weekend Gross: $1.6M, Total Gross: $2.4M