Art the Clown speaks after ‘Terrifier 3’ beats ‘Joker 2’ in the “battle of the clowns”

The threequel and the flop sequel to the Oscar-winning original went head-to-head in theaters over the weekend: Terrifier 3 took the top slot at the box office, with an $18.3 million debut to Joker: Folie à Deux‘s $7.1 million second weekend.

What’s more, according to ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Terrifier 3 has a 76% from critics and is “Verified Hot” with an overall score of 89%. 

The Joker sequel earned a “splat” from the site: It has a 33% from critics and a 32% from moviegoers. 

For his part, David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown, tells ABC Audio “it’s been quite the ride” watching the character take off from its micro-budgeted beginnings.

He says it’s “surreal” to find out his alter-ego has such famous fans. “Someone showed me a picture when Jeff Bezos … dressed up as Art the Clown. I was like, ‘Are you kidding? One of the richest men in the world? Can you fund us? Send me free Amazon stuff, please, man,'” he added with a laugh.

Jason Patric, his co-star in the new movie, also dressed up as Art, and Joey Fatone is also a fan, Thornton says, which left him “stunned.” 

Of the Christmas-set third film, Thornton teases, “It’s gonna give everyone a silent night but violent night,” laughing that it’s a “fun … family picture — just bad things happen to these families.”  

Of Art, he insists “he’s a jolly guy. He certainly enjoys slaying.”