Moviegoers across the U.S. have pointedly rejected the controversial Trump biopic The Apprentice, leading it to flop dramatically during its opening weekend. Despite extensive media promotion, the film, which portrays former President Donald Trump as having committed heinous acts, is expected to gross around $1.5 million, leaving it with one of the lowest per-screen averages for such wide releases.
Opening on 1,740 screens, The Apprentice managed to pull just around $862 per screen from late Thursday through Sunday, effectively averaging about five attendees per showing. This lacklustre performance is particularly stark considering the pre-release predictions had estimated the movie would break $3 million. The extensive media coverage from outlets like CNN, NBC, and The New York Times failed to generate the public enthusiasm expected for such polarizing content.
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, is directed by Ali Abbasi and has been described as sensationalist, dramatizing Trump's rise to power through disturbing depictions, including claims of rape against his own wife, Ivanka Trump. Trump’s legal team attempted to block the film's release with cease and desist letters, but the attempts proved unsuccessful.
Notably, The Apprentice faced rejection from major Hollywood studios and streaming services, with most producers unwilling to take the risk. This lack of support forced Briarcliff Entertainment to come to the rescue, but they, too, required crowd-sourced funding to cover distribution costs.
Meanwhile, this weekend was not just about Trump. It witnessed the unexpected dominance of Terrifier 3, which grossed $18.3 million, leading the box office against all odds. This low-budget slasher film, featuring the terrifying Art the Clown, generated impressive ticket sales, eclipsing established sequels like Joker: Folie à Deux.
For Joker: Folie à Deux, expectations were high, but it experienced what can only be described as catastrophic box office results. The sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 hit Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, dropped 81% from its opening weekend, taking home just $7.1 million this weekend and suffering one of the steepest declines ever recorded for a superhero film.
Despite the original Joker grossing over $1 billion globally on just a $60 million budget, this sequel, which was produced at about $200 million, has entirely failed to excite audiences. To add to the disappointment, its CinemaScore rating plummeted to “D,” signifying lukewarm audience reception.
The film’s initial success created high expectations, but these quickly evaporated as the sequel's storyline failed to resonate with viewers, leading to disappointing reviews. This downward spiral stands out particularly starkly against competing titles and raises questions about shifting audience preferences.
Across the box office this weekend, other lower-budget films and independent features also struggled. The Wild Robot, which is based on the book by Peter Brown, enjoyed moderate success with $13.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $83.7 million, indicating it's faring much stronger than its blockbuster competitors.
Interestingly, the competition among films also included Saturday Night, focusing on the tension around the premiere of Saturday Night Live, gained $3.4 million, showing mixed responses overall. Another animation titled Piece by Piece, which offers Pharrell Williams’ voice through Lego characters, opened to $3.8 million, leading to the best audience ratings of the weekend.
Despite the struggles during this release window, it’s worth noting the historical positioning of this time of year for box office revenue. Comparatively, the current figures have shown approximately 45% decreases from the same weekend last year, marked primarily by the huge boost brought by Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour last fall. This demonstrates not just individual movie performance but also the broader trends affecting the film industry.
Abstracting from this data, industry observers suggest this weekend reflects indicative reversals within Hollywood’s typical audience draw. The Case of Terrifier 3 shows how audience preferences may now favor more niche films cultivated with word-of-mouth rather than the heavyweight promotion typical for star-studded blockbuster releases.
Summing up, this recent box office activity has laid bare shifting paradigms within the film-going audience. Horror movies have cemented their place in encouraging turnout, whereas political dramas like The Apprentice struggle to pull viewers away from their streaming couches and back to theaters. It's becoming evident: box office success this season is likely reliant on niche segment strength instead of blockbuster giants.
