Watch: Pre-Halloween Thriller Terrifier Tops North American Box Office

The indie horror film Terrifier 3 debuted at the top of the North American box office, while last weekend’s leader, Joker: Folie à Deux, saw a significant drop in earnings, according to industry reports on Sunday.

Terrifier 3, produced by indie studio Cineverse and Icon Events, pulled in an estimated $18.2 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period, as reported by Exhibitor Relations. Industry analyst David A. Gross described the opening as “outstanding for a third installment in an indie horror series.” The slasher film once again features Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, as he returns to spread holiday terror with plenty of gore.

In second place, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot held steady with $13.4 million. The film, featuring the voice of Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island, shows Roz building friendships with the local wildlife to survive.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ Joker: Folie à Deux experienced a dramatic 80% drop in its second weekend, falling from its $40 million opening to just $7.1 million. This steep decline, particularly for a film with a budget nearing $200 million, was one of the largest ever for a comic book adaptation and a notable fall for any film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Another Warner Bros. release, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, slipped to fourth place with $7.0 million. Michael Keaton reprises his iconic role as the mischievous undead character.

In fifth place, earning $3.8 million, was Focus Features’ new comedy-drama Piece by Piece, which utilizes Lego animation to tell the story of singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams. The film features an impressive voice cast, including Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and Busta Rhymes.

Elsewhere, the political drama *The Apprentice*, which delves into Donald Trump’s early rise in New York, had a lackluster debut in 10th place with $1.6 million. Trump had previously threatened to block the release due to its unflattering portrayal of him. Sebastian Stan stars as the former president.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

6. Transformers One ($3.7 million)
7. Saturday Night ($3.4 million)
8. My Hero Academia: You’re Next ($3 million)
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas (reissue) ($2.3 million)
10. The Apprentice ($1.6 million)