'Terrifier 3' Slashes Up a Win at Box Office, But 'Piece by Piece' Doesn't Stack Up

Images from the movies "Terrifier 3" and "Piece by Piece."Photo byCineverse and Focus Features

Slasher movie Terrifier 3 made a killer debut this weekend at the box office.

The low-budget horror film opened in first place after taking in a surprising $18.2 million across the U.S. and Canada, Comscore reported Sunday.

Playing in 2,514 locations, the horror flick rang up a per theater average of $7,263.

Written and directed by Damien Leone, Terrifier 3 follows Art the Clown as he unleashes a twisted brand of terror on Christmas Eve.

Related: Pharrell's 'Piece by Piece' Lego Biopic Gets High Marks From Critics

The director expressed excitement over the film's success Sunday on X (formerly Twitter).

"Feeling proud and grateful," Leone wrote alongside clown and confetti emojis. "I got to see Terrifier 3 in a packed theater in Times Square last night and I seriously never experienced anything like it. The energy of the crowd was truly something to behold."

The movie marks the third installment in the Terrifier franchise.

The new film stars David Howard Thornton as the killer clown, alongside Lauren Lavera, Elliott Fullam, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, and Samantha Scaffidi.

The movie received positive reviews from critics and has a 78 percent score out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave the film a "B" CinemaScore.

With a reported budget of $2 million, Terrifier 3 is laughing all the way to the bank.

Elsewhere this weekend, The Wild Robot took second place with $13.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, Comscore reported.

Joker: Folie á Deux continued to struggle and slipped to third place with $7 million in its second weekend.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was fourth with $7.05 million Friday through Sunday in its sixth weekend.

Newcomer Piece By Piece opened in a disappointing fifth place with $3.8 million.

The animated biopic uses Lego toy blocks to tell the life story of recording artist, producer, songwriter, and fashion designer Pharrell Williams.

The film played in 1,865 theaters and earned a per theater average of $2,038.

Piece by Piece comes from Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville.

The star-studded voice cast includes Pharrell, Daft Punk, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Snoop Dogg, and N.O.R.E. — all in Lego form.

Critics embraced the groundbreaking film, giving it an 81 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes as of Sunday.

Audiences also celebrated its creativity, handing the Focus Features release a stellar "A" CinemaScore.

While Piece by Piece has been getting rave reviews, it will need to build on that buzz to turn a profit and make back its $16 million budget.

Check out the box office chart below from ComScore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian: