Terrifier 2 has continued its astonishing box office success story by expanding into even more theaters on Halloween weekend. The film, which features the serial killer Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) tormenting a small town a year after his previous rampage, is a sequel to 2016’s Terrifier, a $100,000 film that only ever got a limited theatrical release before finding a home on DVD. This new entry pits Art against teenager Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her little brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), with a cast that also includes Sarah Voigt, Chris Jericho, and Sleepaway Camp star Felissa Rose.
Terrifier 2 has become the story of the little film that could, drawing a huge return off its budget of $250,000. It originally opened in only 770 theaters and made $850,000 in its opening weekend, but the film has been drawing in more and more curious horror fans off the back of its reputation as a no-holds-barred gross-out extravaganza that has been causing some people to throw up in the theater. The success of Terrifier 2 has only increased, as every weekend afterward it has opened in more theaters and its total box office gross has already risen to $5.9 million at the time of writing.
Bloody Disgusting reports the latest box office news from Terrifier 2. Namely, it has continued its relentless expansion in theaters, as it is now playing on 1,500+ screens across the United States this Halloween weekend. In the meantime, it has also opened in Canada and begun a similar expansion process.
Can Terrifier 2 Push Its Box Office Expansion Even More?
There isn’t very much precedent for an indie film like this expanding so consistently without an Oscar push behind it, as happened with films like Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The closest comparison would probably be Nia Vardalos’ 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which had a bigger budget of $5 million but only opened in 108 theaters before expanding to a huge total run of $241.4 million. However, Terrifier 2 has a much more niche appeal than the Greek-American rom-com.
There is also the matter that audience interest in horror tends to die down in the few weeks after Halloween, when many Americans turn their eyes toward the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. That will also be compounded with the fact that Terrifier 2 will begin streaming online on Screambox on Halloween night, which will likely dip into its box office returns. However, Art the Clown has proven that it is unwise to bet against his success, so only time will tell.
