Here I was, all set to talk about a Thursday when I saw nothing but engaging “fall movies” — the immersive historical comedy “Saturday Night,” the damning Trump bio “The Apprentice” and Pharrell Williams in Lego form — “Piece by Piece” among them.

And damned if the horror franchise that I’ve made a point in avoiding doesn’t show up and steal the weekend.

“Terrifier 3,” part of a series that’s borderline cultish so cinemas were showing the first two films as a way of getting genre fans up to speed and bringing in repeat business from devotees, is pulling in $18.3 million as the DC universe’s new star, The Joker, fell off a cliff.

An operation called Cineverse made and marketed the no-real-stars “Terrifier” the latest murderous clown thriller to its fans, and for once (the horror audience has been largely AWOL for a year or so) the dears showed up.

I ducked into “3” between screenings, caught a few minutes, long enough to figure out what it was and what it is about, muttered “Life’s too short” and wandered off to see something, anything better than that.

The lovely “The Wild Robot” is reaching its family audience, claiming another $13.5 million this weekend.

“Joker: Folie à Deux”  is PLUNGING on its second weekend, an 81% plummet to $7 million. Fix THAT James Gunn. Todd Phillips killed it, Lady Gaga is no draw, etc.

No wonder I was able to see “Piece by Piece” in my multiplex’s IMAX big house. Joaquin singing duets with Gaga isn’t selling. The entire comic book fantasy “genre” is dying right before our eyes.

“Deadpool & Wolverine,” an unrepeatable fluke in the Marvel production line, was an aberration. Comic book movies are fading out and fast. You think anybody’s dying to see Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford in another “Captain America” movie early next year?

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is still making money from those expecting entertainment from it —  $7 million this weekend.

“Transformers One” is still making money off all the fanchildren who’re worked-up over HENRY CAVILL being cast in a future (Animated?) version of the toys-with-their-own TV show/movie franchise(s). Another $3.6 million for that one.

But there are GOOD new movies out there, kids! Some of them made more money than “Transformers.”

“Saturday Night” is only earning $3.4 million in its first weekend of wide release. Mostly no-name cast, aimed at a 50 year old show’s “We were there” demographic? OK, Millennials. Ignore it.

“Piece by Piece,” the Lego Pharrell story, won’t clear $3.8 million. Open your mind and ears. It’s sweet and cute and funny, and I’ll bet you didn’t know the full Pharrell story.T

The latest “My Hero Academia”  installment  pulled in $3.

And “The Apprentice” is a warning to how a monster made a monster who wants to end our democracy and start rounding people up. Briarcliffe Entertainment picked up a pretty good movie, well-acted, documented, etc. and only reached enough theaters and stirred up enough interest to pull in $1.5 million.

Maybe most Americans are so over Trump and the movie’s an indicator of that.