Ultra-gory 'Terrifer 3' kicks 'Joker 2' off the top of the box office chart, as Art the Clown is hailed a new horror icon

• Extreme horror "Terrifier 3" made $18 million in its opening weekend.
• "Terrifier 3" kicked "Joker 2" off the top of the US box office chart.

Extreme indie horror "Terrifier 3" has made $18 million in its opening weekend — surpassing the entire theatrical run of its 2022 prequel and overtaking the star-studded "Joker 2" to become the No. 1 film in the US.

In comparison, the widely panned "Joker 2" made $7 million this weekend.

Fans say the success of "Terrifier 3" has cemented its lead character, the demonic, mute serial killer Art the Clown, as a horror icon.

Played by David Howard Thornton, Art returns in "Terrifier 3" to take on his teenage nemesis and her family during the Christmas holidays. The film takes the extreme gore of its prequels even further, leading 11 people to walk out of a screening before its official release and one to vomit — which was seized upon by its marketing team.

The subsequent buzz around the movie may explain how it surpassed the $12 million "Terrifier 2" made and matched what 2004's "Saw" clinched in its opening weekend. That went on to become one of the most successful horror franchises of all time, making over $1 billion.

Compared to Marvel or DC blockbusters, which can make hundreds of millions of dollars, $18 million may not sound impressive, particularly as "Joker 2" made $165 million worldwide by October 14.

But fans and critics argue that more people choosing to see "Terrifier 3" in a weekend than a film about one of cinema's most popular characters suggests audiences aren't taken by director Todd Phillips' latest take on Joker's story. They are, however, grabbed by the "Terrifier" franchise's combination of ultra-violence and Thornton's twisted yet entertaining performance.

One user on X wrote: "'Terrifier 3' gave the people what they wanted and they showed up. 'Joker 2' did the opposite. It's that simple folks."

Art's popularity has been growing since "Terrifier 2," when he became a meme.

Now, fans have hailed Art as a modern horror icon akin to other slasher villains such as Norman Bates, Leatherface, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger. Spirit Halloween is betting on Art's success by adding by expanding its "Terrifier" merchandise to include a life-size animatronic of the killer clown.

Matt Hudson, the host of the Spook City horror movie podcast and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, previously told Business Insider: "I don't think we've had a real icon since the idea of Ghostface in 1996 and then before that you've got the classics, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Pinhead.

"So I think audiences also want a new icon, somebody who they almost go to see the film for Art rather than anybody else."