Terrifier 3 Looks To Kill It At The Box Office As Horror's Hot New Franchise

In the realm of the box office, it's all relative. A movie that costs $100 million to make can make $100 million in theaters and it becomes a financial trainwreck. A movie that costs $1.5 million to make, such as James Wan's "Insidious," can make that same amount and be the beginning of a long-running franchise. I say this to tee up the ball for the release of "Terrifier 3" in theaters next weekend. Is this movie going to make $100 million? No, it is not. Is it going to make an absolute killing relative to what it cost to make? It certainly appears so, continuing Art the Clown's unlikely rise from relative obscurity to modern slasher superstar.

Director Damien Leone's "Terrifier 3" is currently eyeing an opening weekend between $4 and $8 million, per Box Office Theory. That may not sound like much but let's consider for a moment that this is hitting theaters in its pure, gory, unrated form. That is often tough to promote. Let's also remember that 2022's breakout sequel "Terrifier 2," which pulled in a downright surprising $15 million globally, was made for just $250,000. So even if the latest installment cost ten times that amount, a $4 million domestic opening would be healthy. If it gets to $8 million? Now we're really talking. I would not be shocked if Art's latest rampage gets closer to $10 million but don't quote me on that.

For an unrated gory slasher — particularly one with a hulking 2-hour and 18-minute runtime — "Terrifier 2" had a pretty healthy domestic/international split. It made $10.6 million in North America to go with $4.4 million overseas. This is to say, the sequel figures to do business internationally as well. Not to mention that this one has the benefit of being short. Oh, and did we mention that it takes place at Christmas? That means it, in theory, could benefit from screenings right up through the end of the year if all goes well. It's hard to see anything but the upside here.

The third installment in the ever-growing franchise sees Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) unleashing another round of chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County on Christmas Eve. The cast includes returning members Lauren LaVera (Sienna), Samantha Scaffidi (Victoria Heyes), Elliot Fullam (Jonathan Shaw), and Chris Jericho (Burke), as well as quite a few newcomers such as makeup effects legend Tom Savini, Jason Patric ("The Lost Boys") and Daniel Roebuck ("Final Destination") as Santa Claus.

Art the Clown first headlined the horror anthology "All Hallows Eve" in 2013 before Leone put together the first "Terrifier" in 2016. The film was at best a modest hit that gained a cult following. "Terrifier 2," against all odds, became a breakout success story. It also only opened to $805,000 and word of mouth eventually got it to $15 million. Beyond that, in unquantifiable ways, it's clear that Art the Clown has become a modern horror icon. He's everywhere. On shirts, in memes, there are Halloween costumes. The franchise's prowess has only grown in the last two years. That bodes well for "Terrifier 3" and its financial prospects.

Working even more in the film's favor, once again defying the odds, is the critical opinion. Leone's threequel currently holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes following its premiere at Fantastic Fest. /Film's Jacob Hall called it "one of the nastiest horror movies ever" in his 7 out of 10 review. So, for its intended audience, word of mouth will likely be positive. Even for those who are turned off by the ultra-violence, it might develop that "you must see it to believe it" reputation.

Theaters even seem to be anticipating a big turnout here, with "Terrifier 3" getting in on the popcorn bucket trend at chains like Cinemark. The point is, relative to its budget, this one seems to be poised for breakout status this year. Sure, we've got "Smile 2" coming down the pipeline, but given that the first film made $217 million worldwide, it's hard to imagine the follow-up doing much more than its predecessor. On the flip side, $15 million seems like a low bar for this one to clear based on the early numbers.

"Terrifier 3" hits theaters on October 11, 2024.