Update on October 13, 2024, by Brennan Klein
Joker 2 and Terrifier 3’s Box Office Performance
The latest box office projections have shown a surprising turn of events. Joker: Folie à Deux has not made the expected impact in its second weekend, while Terrifier 3 has exceeded expectations with a strong opening.
Box Office Breakdown
Originally projected to follow the success of its 2019 predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux has fallen short, opening worldwide with over $100 million less than the original Joker film. Meanwhile, Terrifier 3, featuring Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), has gained momentum, particularly appealing to the Halloween audience.
According to Deadline’s Sunday update, Terrifier 3 is set to top the domestic box office with a projected $18.3 million for its 3-day opening weekend. This figure surpasses the entire theatrical run of Terrifier 2, which earned $15.7 million worldwide. In stark contrast, Joker 2 is expected to bring in only $7.055 million in its second weekend, an alarming 81.3% drop from its initial $37.7 million domestic opening.
Record-Breaking Drops
This drastic decline positions Joker: Folie à Deux as having the worst second-week drop for any film based on a DC character. It also suffers the steepest drop in the superhero genre, surpassing previous flops like The Marvels (78.1%) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (69%). Box Office Mojo further reports that this represents the 20th worst third-week drop in domestic box office history, pushing 1991’s Return to the Blue Lagoon (80.8%) to 21st place.
Domestic Box Office Top 5
– Terrifier 3: $18.3 million
– The Wild Robot: Maintains its No. 2 position
– Joker: Folie à Deux: Falls to No. 3
– Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Slips to No. 4 with $7.05 million
– Piece by Piece: Debuts at No. 5 with $3.8 million
Other Box Office Movements
Transformers One has dropped from the Top 5, now at No. 6 with a $3.65 million gross, bringing its domestic total to $52.8 million. Despite recently crossing $100 million worldwide, it remains unclear if it has recouped its budget, estimated between $75 and $147 million.
Blumhouse’s Speak No Evil has slipped to No. 11 with $1.5 million, a 46% decline, though primarily due to the influx of new releases.
Anime film My Hero Academia: You’re Next and the re-release of Nightmare Before Christmas debuted at No. 8 and No. 9, earning $3 million and $2.3 million, respectively.
Despite critical acclaim, the SNL dramedy Saturday Night and the Donald Trump biopic led by Sebastian Stan underperformed. Saturday Night opened at No. 7 with $3.4 million against a $30 million budget, while the biopic landed at No. 10 with $1.58 million, also failing to meet its $16 million production cost.
Implications for Joker 2
The DC Comics Sequel Struggles
The steep decline for Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is significant but not unexpected due to the predominantly negative reviews from critics and audiences. With a D CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 33% for critics and 32% for audiences, the film faces a challenging path forward.
With a budget of approximately $200 million, Joker 2 needs to reach $450 million to break even. However, by the end of its first week, the film had only garnered $121.5 million globally. While it fared slightly better internationally, it still fell short of expectations and initial projections. A less dramatic drop internationally could mitigate some losses, but without mirroring the original film’s 41.9% decline, the outlook remains bleak.
Weekend Box Office Insights
Terrifier 3’s Success
Despite Joker: Folie à Deux’s struggles, Terrifier 3’s performance suggests optimism for the October box office. While its opening weekend numbers are lower than Joker’s, Terrifier 3 operates in a different market segment. The slasher film, known for its graphic content, appeals to a narrower audience than the DC film, despite both carrying R ratings. Remarkably, with a modest $2 million production cost, Terrifier 3 has already turned a profit, marking it as another successful horror release in 2024.
Sources: Deadline & Box Office Mojo
Joker: Folie a Deux
- Drama
- Crime
- Musical
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker's lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
Terrifier 3
- Horror
Terrifier 3 follows Sienna and her brother as they attempt to move past the traumatic events of Art the Clown's Halloween massacre. As they embrace the Christmas season, Art reemerges, intent on turning their holiday into a nightmare, continuing his reign of terror.
