BOX OFFICE: The Joke’s on you, “Joker,” “Terrifier 3” takes over October

Here I was, ready to talk about a Thursday in which I watched nothing but riveting “fall movies” — the immersive historical comedy “Saturday Night,” the scathing Trump biopic “The Apprentice” and Pharrell Williams in Lego form — “Piece by piece”. ” among them.

And damned if the horror franchise I’ve been avoiding at all costs doesn’t show up and steal the weekend.

“Terrifier 3” As part of a series that has achieved near-cult status, theaters screened the first two films to bring genre fans up to speed and attract repeat business from devotees. The film grosses $15 million as the DC Universe’s new star, The Joker, falls off a cliff.

An organization called Cineverse produced and marketed the latest murderous clown thriller, “Terrifier,” which had no real stars, to its fans, and for once (horror audiences have largely been remote for about a year) the loved ones were there.

The beautiful “The wild robot” reaches its family audience and rakes in another $13 million-plus this weekend.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” plummets 77-80% to perhaps $8 or $9 million in its second weekend. Fix THAT James Gunn. Todd Phillips did it, Lady Gaga is not a draw, etc.

Deadpool & Wolverine, an unrepeatable event in the Marvel production line, was an aberration. Comic book movies are fading fast. Do you think anyone is dying to see Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford in another Captain America movie early next year?

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is still making money from those who expect entertainment from it – $6, maybe $7 million this weekend.

“Transformers One” is still making money off of all the fan kids excited about HENRY CAVILL being cast in a future (animated?) version of the toys-with-their-own-TV-show/movie franchise(s). Another $4 million for that.

But there are GOOD new movies out there, kids!

“Saturday evening” only earned $4 million in its first weekend of release. Mainly no-name cast, aimed specifically at the target group of a 50-year-old series “We were there”? Okay, Millennials. Ignore it.

“Piece by piece” The Lego Pharrell story won’t make $3 million. Open your mind and your ears. It’s sweet and sweet and funny, and I bet you didn’t know the whole Pharrell story.

And “The Apprentice” is a warning about how a monster has created a monster that wants to end our democracy and start rounding up people. Briarcliffe Entertainment picked a pretty good movie, well acted, well documented, etc., that only reached enough theaters and generated enough interest to collect $1.5 million.

Perhaps this is how most Americans feel about Trump and the film is an indicator of that.

As always, I will update these numbers as the weekend progresses and more data comes in.