‘Terrifier 3’ Acquired for Fall 2024 Wide Theatrical Release

Terrifier 3 was just recently officially announced less than two weeks ago, and now following worldwide sales for the project at the Cannes Film Festival, today brings news that the highly anticipated Art the Clown sequel has been acquired for a wide theatrical release in 2024.

Cineverse Corp. announced today that it has secured North American rights to slasher sequel Terrifier 3, from franchise writer and director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone, as first reported by Variety.

The film is scheduled to have a wide theatrical release next year in North America, followed by its exclusive debut on Cineverse’s streaming service Screambox.

Produced for less than $250,000, last year’s Terrifier 2 went on to make $15 million at the worldwide box office. The new sequel is understood to be getting a budget in the low-mid seven figure range, a significant increase on that of last year’s Terrifer 2.

Cineverse chairman and CEO Chris McGurk said in a statement, “We are thrilled that Damien and Phil have chosen to stay true to the franchise and keep the film uncut and independent vs. going the studio route. We aim to make this film the centerpiece of our releasing strategy which is focused on creator-friendly collaboration to generate fan-favorite franchises and remakes that work theatrically and drive streaming subscription revenues. This time, we are planning a wide theatrical release for Terrifier 3 as we are confident that the film will deliver yet another unparalleled horror experience. We eagerly anticipate the creative vision that Damien and Phil will unleash upon audiences when we bring Terrifier 3 to the big screen in the fall of 2024.”

Leone spoke to Variety about the upcoming sequel, saying , “I want to shift back a bit to the tone of Part One, which I felt was a little more simplistic and old school, gritty slasher. I want this one to go back in that direction, and I want this to be the scariest one of the trilogy. This one will actually have a little bit more of an evil overtone to it, so this is going to be hopefully the scariest and the darkest. I want it to feel as if the audience coming into this one isn’t as comfortable with Art the Clown as they feel they are now. I want to see if I can make them really scared of him again.”

When asked about the pressure to top the disturbing gore and violence that precedes in the first two films, Leone says, “There was actually a kill that I was going to put in Terrifier that happened to Jenna Kanell’s character Tara. After the hacksaw scene, it was another torture scene. I knew putting those back-to-back was going to completely lose the audience because it would be way too much to handle. So that was a kill that I kept on the back burner… I didn’t even put it in Part Two. So that’s one I may explore. But there’s another one I thought of about a month ago, where it clicked and I said “That’s going to be the next bedroom kill scene” — you’ll know it when you see it. I can’t say for sure I’ll ever top any of these scenes — it’s always going to be subjective — but you will know it when you see it.”

Leone also reveals that viewers should expect a bit less of the fantasy elements introduced Terrifier 2, explaining, “I personally love it. There’s a lot of people who didn’t love the fantasy, or at least they need more explanation as to why that’s all happening. I didn’t want to explain everything in Part Two, so I am going to explain as we go. But the biggest mistake I could do now is double-down on that fantasy aspect. That’s why I want to course-correct a bit; let’s go back to Nightmare on Elm Street Part One, as opposed to going further into Dream Warriors. That could be very helpful criticism and help me make a better movie moving forward. But we’ll see.”

While plot details remain under wraps for now, David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera are both expected to reprise their roles as Art the Clown and Sienna, respectively, in the new movie.

Filming is expected to begin in November or December of this year, with plans to release Terrifier 3 in fall 2024.

Be sure to check out all of our recent Terrifier and Terrifier 2 video interviews below.

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