• The extreme horror film “Terrifier 3” grossed $18 million in its opening weekend.
• “Terrifier 3” pushed “Joker 2” off the top of the US box office charts.
• Horror fans call the main character Art the Clown a new icon of the genre.

Extreme indie horror “Terrifier 3” grossed $18 million in its opening weekend – surpassing the total theatrical run of its 2022 prequel and overtaking the star-studded “Joker 2” to become the No. 1 film in the USA became.

In comparison, the acclaimed “Joker 2” grossed $7 million this weekend.

Fans say the success of “Terrifier 3” cemented its main character, the demonic, mute serial killer Art the Clown, as a horror icon.

Art, played by David Howard Thornton, returns in “Terrifier 3” to face his teenage nemesis and her family over the Christmas holidays. The film takes the extreme gore of its predecessors even further, causing eleven people to leave a screening and one to vomit before its official release – which was picked up by its marketing team.

The subsequent enthusiasm for the film may explain why it surpassed the $12 million “Terrifier 2” and achieved what 2004’s “Saw” did in its opening weekend. This grew into one of the most successful horror franchises of all time with sales of over $1 billion.

Compared to Marvel or DC blockbusters that can gross hundreds of millions of dollars, $18 million might not sound particularly impressive, especially since “Joker 2” grossed $165 million worldwide through October 14th.

However, fans and critics argue that more people choose to watch “Terrifier 3” in a weekend than a film about one of cinema’s most popular characters, suggesting that audiences are not thrilled with director Todd Phillips’ latest take on Joker’s story. However, they are gripped by the combination of ultra-violence and Thornton’s twisted but entertaining performance in the “Terrifier” franchise.

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Art’s popularity has increased since “Terrifier 2” when he became a meme.

Now fans are celebrating Art as a modern horror icon, similar to other slasher villains like Norman Bates, Leatherface, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Spirit Halloween is banking on Art’s success and expanding its “Terrifier” items to include a life-size animatronic of the killer clown.

Matt Hudson, host of the horror film podcast Spook City and acclaimed Rotten Tomatoes critic, previously told Business Insider: “I don’t think we’ve had a true icon since the idea of ​​Ghostface in 1996 and before that.” I have the classics, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Pinhead.

“So I think audiences also want a new icon, someone they would go see the film almost for the art, and not anyone else.”