Joker 2 prepares for massive second weekend drop

Two murderous clowns will go head-to-head at the weekend box office as “Terrifier 3” and “Joker: Folie a Deux” fight for the top spot on the domestic charts.

Ticket sales for the “Joker” sequel are expected to decline at least 60% to 65% in the second weekend, which would amount to $13 million to $15 million. However, that is rather optimistic. Box office experts wouldn't be surprised if the offbeat comic musical suffered a tragic 70-75% drop, with grosses coming in at $9-11 million. Hampered by poor reviews and terrible word of mouth, “Joker 2” opened last weekend to a disastrous $37.6 million.

Based on these predictions, “Terrifier 3” has the potential to cause excitement. The third installment in the “Terrifier” series is expected to bring in $10 million to $13 million from 2,514 venues in its first weekend of release. It would be a big start for the extremely gory, low-budget slasher film.

Also in the mix for No. 1 is Universal and DreamWorks Animation's “The Wild Robot,” with the well-reviewed family film expected to bring in $12 million to $13 million in its third weekend of release. To date, the company has raised $65.4 million domestically and $102 million worldwide.

The first “Terrifier” was relatively unknown, opening at $123,957 and ending its 2016 box office run with $419,000 worldwide. But 2022's sequel “Terrifier 2” defied the odds – and dared moviegoers not to vomit – and emerged as one of the season's most unlikely successes. It opened with $805,000 and reached a scary $10 million domestically and $15.7 million worldwide. And the second entry was able to achieve these returns without big stars or much advertising. The threequel, again directed by Damien Leone, stars the demonic killer clown who returns to brutalize a small town. He usually strikes around Halloween, but this time Art the Clown decides to wait until Christmas to unleash the terror. “Terrifier 3” has surprisingly good reviews for a slasher film, averaging 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Iconic Releasing is distributing the film, which does not have an age rating from the Motion Picture Association.

It was a shocking collapse for “Joker: Folie a Deux” as the highly anticipated sequel to 2019's billion-dollar, Oscar-winning hit. The original “Joker” grossed $1.07 billion on a budget of about $60 million. dollars, resulting in enviable profit margins. The follow-up film is worth an impressive $200 million, thanks to the generous fees for director Todd Phillips and the main actors Joaquin Phoenix (returning as disturbed stand-up star Arthur Fleck) and Lady Gaga (as fellow inmate Harleen “Lee” from the Arkham Asylum) skyrocketed ”Quinzel). So, according to sources familiar with the film's financials, “Folie à Deux” needs to gross at least $450 million to break even.

Elsewhere at the domestic box office, some new releases nationwide will hit single digits.

Sony's “Saturday Night,” a high-profile look at the premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” is expected to gross $3.5 million to $5 million from 2,300 theaters this weekend. The $30 million-budgeted film, directed by Jason Reitman, has grossed $629,000 after two weekends in limited release.

“Piece By Piece,” a documentary that tells the life story of Pharrell Williams through Lego animation, is aiming for $5 million to $7 million from 1,851 locations. Focus Features is releasing the $16 million film directed by Morgan Neville, whose stalwarts include the acclaimed Mr. Rogers documentary “Won't You Be My Neighbor?” and “20 Feet From Stardom.”

“The Apprentice,” a biographical drama in which Sebastian Stan portrays a young Donald Trump, is expected to open with $1 million to $3 million in 1,740 theaters. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and landed at Briarcliff Entertainment after struggling to find a buyer. The film traces the rise of Trump's business career and focuses on the former president's relationship with the murderous New York prosecutor Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Trump has criticized “The Apprentice” and his camp has threatened legal action over the film, saying in a statement: “This garbage is pure fiction, telling lies that have long since been debunked.”