Terrifier 3 Box Office: Totals, Worldwide, Opening Explained

Damien Leone’s grisly supernatural slasher Terrifier 3 took the domestic box office by storm in early October 2024, and its worldwide box office results point to a promising future for the entire Terrifier franchise. Starring Lauren LaVera as Sienna, the good-hearted foil to the demonic killer clown Art, Terrifier 3 made significant strides in expanding the lore surrounding the maniacal murderer and his acolytes, and the backstory behind Sienna herself. Audiences the world over responded to the third chapter in the Terrifier saga, establishing the series among some of the most profitable horror franchises of all time.

Terrifier 3, and the entire Terrifier franchise, stands as an example of how profitable horror can be, and it’s a lesson that major studios already seem to be paying attention to. The last few years have seen a number of high-quality horror movies turn massive profits at the box office, as many can be produced for comparatively low budgets as opposed to massive blockbusters. Terrifier 3 takes it a step further, and proves that even with no major marketing and content that excludes a major sector of the moviegoing audience, massive profits can be turned.

Terrifier 3’s Total Box Office (So Far)

The Gory Christmastime Slasher Blew Away Expectations

Terrifier 3 was technically released on Friday, October 11th, 2024, although as with most movies, it did have show times on Thursday the 10th. As of this writing, 10 days after its initial release, Terrifier 3 has grossed an astounding $41.5 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo, which is staggering for not just a horror movie, but for a horror movie that was widely rated NC-17 due to its gruesome content. That comes on the strength of more than $36 million domestically and a cool $5.3 million overseas.

In theory that number should be higher, as it was reported that a spike in ticket sales for Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot was actually due to teenagers and tweens buying tickets for the animated film and then sneaking into Terrifier 3. The low-budget threequel’s performance is especially impressive when one considers that there was no major studio behind its marketing; it was largely done via podcast advertising and other smaller-scale means. On a budget of just $2 million, Terrifier 3 has already turned a profit many times over.

Terrifier 3’s Opening Weekend Box Office

Art The Clown Stunned Experts By Beating Out Another Clown

A large percentage of Terrifier 3‘s box office haul came in its opening weekend (October 11th-13th) largely due to the fact that it was at the absolute peak of its hype. As was the case with Terrifier 2’s surprise interest and box office success, reports of moviegoers passing out and getting sick due to the extreme violence and gore only served to pique the interest of people who may not have otherwise tried to see the movie in theaters. In some theaters, specially-branded vomit bags were handed out as Terrifier 3’s marketing team leaned into the word-of-mouth hype.

Ironically, Terrifier 3‘s explosive opening weekend pushed another sinister clown off the top of the box office mountain. As Terrifier 3 skyrocketed to an $18.3 million opening, Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux experienced one of the biggest drops ever on its way to a distant finish behind Art the Clown. The sky-high opening weekend also demonstrated the growth in the franchise’s popularity, as Terrifier 3‘s opening weekend managed to blow past the entire box office gross of Terrifier 2. Art has become a pop culture icon thanks to social media, and the box office for Terrifier 3 reflects that.

How Terrifier 3’s Box Office Compares To The Other Terrifier Movies

It’s Far More Profitable Than Either Of Its Predecessors

The original Terrifier was little more than a cult classic indie film upon its release. Damien Leone produced it as a feature length version of one of his previous short films for less than $60,000, and it still managed to gross over $400,000 in its extremely limited theatrical run. It became a bigger hit once it hit home media and streaming, but ultimately it barely registered at the box office. Terrifier 3’s $2 million budget and $41.6 million box office gross compared to the original stands as one of the most significant increases for any franchise regardless of genre.

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Terrifier 3’s Opening Scene: What Happens & Why It’s Controversial

Art the Clown’s latest movie had viewers vomiting and leaving in its first 10 minutes, but what is so disturbing about Terrifier 3’s opening scene?

Terrifier 2, on the other hand, made some true noise when it was released in October 2022. The film went viral as word spread about its controversial bedroom scene causing people to vomit in the theater. The more ambitious budget, which was still a modest $250,000 generated by an Indiegogo campaign, still turned a massive profit as it generated over $15 million. What was originally intended to be a one-week theatrical release was tripled in length due to audience demand, and it grossed another $3.4 million in home media sales.

What Terrifier 3’s Box Office Means For The Franchise

The Future Is Bright For Art And Sienna

Given that Terrifier 3 has already grossed more than 20 times its original budget after just ten days, there is no reason for Leone to stop making Terrifier movies. Damien Leone has already spoken publicly about the fact that he has two more Terrifier sequels planned, per Discussing Film. Terrifier 3‘s cliffhanger ending set the stage for at least one more sequel, and given the ever-increasing popularity of both the franchise and its central figure, Art the Clown, it seems destined for at least one more after that.

The Terrifier franchise also has much more going for it than bloody kills. Both Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 elevated the quality of the overarching narrative, and Terrifier 3‘s record-breaking Rotten Tomatoes audience score proves that audiences approve of the more focused story direction. While many slasher franchises, and slasher sequels in particular, have received dismal critical reception, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 have registered Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores of 86% and 75%, respectively. Simply put, the Terrifier movies are both entertaining and engaging for audiences and critics alike, which bodes well for the franchise’s longevity.

The cherry on top for the Terrifier franchise is the strength of its lead opposite Art the Clown. Lauren LaVera, who plays Art’s angel-warrior nemesis Sienna Shaw, has evolved into a genuine star thanks to her tremendous performances in Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3. LaVera will next be seen alongside Hollywood A-listers Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the upcoming Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, and she may be on the verge of a major career breakout. Ultimately, Terrifier 3‘s astonishing box office haul is a major indicator of the long-term potential of the Terrifier franchise.

Source: Box Office Mojo, Discussing Film

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.

Director

Damien Leone

Release Date

October 11, 2024

Studio(s)

Dark Age Cinema , Fuzz on the Lens Productions

Distributor(s)

Cineverse

Writers

Damien Leone

Runtime

125 Minutes

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