5 reasons why Terrier 3 broke the box office record

In perhaps the craziest box office story of the year, Bloody Disgusting and Cineverse's “Terrifer 3” triumphed against all odds, becoming the number one film in the country. Just a few weeks ago this would have been unthinkable, if not ridiculous. But that's no laughing matter, as Damien Leone's incredibly gory and underrated slasher solidified Art the Clown as a modern slasher icon while generating immediate profits for everyone involved.

“Terrifier 3” grossed an estimated $18.3 million over the weekend, easily topping the charts. This means that in one weekend, “Terrifier 2” earned more ($15 million) during its entire 2022 broadcast period. What's more, the film only played on 2,514 screens, which is significantly less than the 3,000 or more we typically see for a number one film. This means it had a stellar per-screen average of $7,000. Less than two weeks ago, estimates had the latest installment in the “Terrifier” franchise grossing nearly $8 million on its opening weekend. This turned out to be hilariously conservative. Leone's bloody Christmas killing spree is probably the most unlikely number one film of 2020. To say this is surprising would be an understatement.

So what went so well for this independently produced slasher? Why is this such a big deal? What events allowed this film to become such a success? We will discuss the top reasons why “Terrifier 3” was a box office success. Let's dive in.

Critics often criticize horror films. Even cold classics such as Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining” did not receive universal acclaim in its day. That said, it's shocking that a film as gory and unfriendly to mainstream audiences as “Terrifier 3” received very favorable reviews. Critics and audiences alike largely embraced Leone's work, with the film earning a 76% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, earning it an astonishing B CinemaScore. In the world of horror, B is more like A for your average Hollywood blockbuster. This suggests that word of mouth will be great. /Film Jacob Hall, in his review, called the film “one of the nastiest horror films ever made.” from “Terrifier 3” from Fantastic Fest.

The buzz helped this film find its target audience in a big way. Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting managed to run a very effective, very targeted marketing campaign (the total investment is estimated at $5 million, which by Hollywood standards is nothing). Since marketing expenses were so minimal, it would all be money in the bank from now on. And because the reviews are so positive (relatively), the film will have a much longer shelf life.

One of the most important factors that allowed this unexpected situation to occur was the disastrous failure of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The 2019 “Joker” sequel grossed just $37.8 million against miserable reviews. Given that the first film grossed over a billion dollars and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, it was widely assumed that the sequel would also be a box office success. It didn't quite work out. Not only was the film's opening weekend poor, but it saw one of the biggest second-weekend drops ever.

“Joker 2” grossed just $7 million in its second weekend, a drop of more than 81%. It climbed to number three on the charts, while the highly reviewed “Wild Robot” remained in second place. With no other big releases scheduled for this weekend, that meant “Terrifier 3” would have its incredibly unlikely moment in the sun. After “Joker 2” bombed, many theaters started booking “Terrorist 3” because it had a better chance of putting butts in seats. All this fuss generated a huge amount of free press for the slasher sequel, which only helped put it on audiences' radar heading into the weekend. One clown's misfortune turned out to be another clown's path to glory.

For larger films, the general rule is that you should double your budget to accommodate your marketing goals. This is often necessary because people need to know the film in order to sell tickets, but it also means that the profit goes on. For “Terrifier 3,” the team decided to rely more on word-of-mouth and ultra-targeted advertising, primarily online. While other films have attempted this type of marketing campaign before, it's easy to argue that this is currently the most effective proof that it works.

“Terrifer 3” has no rating. It's relentlessly bloody. There were reports of people leaving screenings. All of this made the film seem taboo and dangerous. This kind of hype will turn off some viewers, but it only fueled a rabid, horror-hungry audience, some of whom took it as something of a challenge. In times of pandemic, the “I'll wait for streaming” mentality is real. In many cases, it's a must-see movie, or viewers will just stay home. “Terrifier 3” gained the “must-see” brand for horror dogs, and word of mouth spread without the need for TV spots or other similarly expensive advertising methods.

There's a good chance that many people will be hearing about “The Terror” for the first time because of what happened at the box office over the weekend. But Damien Leone has been with the franchise for over a decade. Art the Clown debuts in the anthology “All Hallows' Eve.” in 2013. The original “Terrifier” was a modest success at best compared to its small budget. However, things changed when “Terrifier 2” came out in 2022, which helped set the stage for what happened last weekend.

“Terrifier 2” lasted well over two hours, was also extremely bloody and was a continuation of the 2016 film, which did not make much of an impression upon release. However, with a budget of just $250,000, the total amounted to just under $11 million domestically and almost $5 million abroad. However, the film's price tag ballooned to just $805,000, leading to a slow build that ultimately made it a huge hit. Financially, this success paved the way for an even greater murder spree in “Terrifier 3.” But how do you go from a sub-$1 million opening to a nearly $20 million opening?

It all starts with “Terrifier 2”. All the hype at the time has caused a lot of people to catch up on the franchise over the past few years. Meanwhile, Art the Clown has become a true contemporary icon of the genre. I've been a fan for two years, and this great opening weekend proves just how far Mr. Leone and his killer clown have come.

The first half of 2024 was difficult at the box office. Aside from a few hits like “The Beekeeper” and “Dune: Part Two,” there was a lot more bad than good throughout May. Even in the horror world, films like “Night Swim” and “Imaginary” were relatively successful, but didn't deliver hits on the level of something like “M3GAN.” Either way, the extraordinary success of “Terrifier 3” confirmed that horror is still Hollywood's most reliable genre, especially in the pandemic era. Since the grand opening of “A Quiet Place: Day One” in early July, the horror film has once again enjoyed a strong run.

“Longlegs” is another independent film success, grossing over $100 million worldwide. “Alien: Romulus” grossed $350 million worldwide, becoming the biggest horror film of the year overall, unless “Beetlejuice” is included in that category. Either way, the horror still prevails. This all helped set the ball rolling for “Terrifier 3.” It's been a while since we've had a new slasher franchise that has audiences excited. That's a big reason why this film made the list of the top five horror releases of 2024, even though the rest of the list was dominated by much bigger studio-backed films.

Above all, it's a reminder that horror can be a low-risk, high-reward genre. It doesn't always work, just look at Lionsgate's “Never Let Go.” But when it works, that's it Really factory. Audiences looking for horror movies are among the most loyal. Follow them and they will do the same with your video. It is clear that Leone and Art the Clown performed well in the eyes of viewers this time.

“Terrifier 3” is now in cinemas.