For all of the hype and genuine trepidation that preceded Joker, Warner’s R-rated spinoff exceeded all expectations to score $96 million at the domestic box office this past weekend.
These updated figures actually place the Todd Phillips movie slightly higher than Justice League ($93 million), where it’s now officially the highest DC Movie debut since Wonder Woman. The other competitors – namely Aquaman ($67 million) and Shazam! ($53 million) – fall far short of Joker‘s historic opening, which is pretty damn impressive when you consider that the dark, twisted flick is based on an original story without any sequel credentials…even if Joaquin Phoenix is already hinting at the possibility of a second coming.
It’s a new take on a very old villain, one which clearly isn’t clowning around at the worldwide box office, given its overall cume now sits at $236 million. And that’s before it’s even arrived in key European markets like France and Germany.
So far, Joker has found great success in the domestic market, where it’s now the highest-grossing October release of all time, just edging out last year’s Venom ($80 million) to snatch the crown.
It may be steeped in controversy, but on a purely financial basis, Joker has proven to be a huge success for the Powers That Be at Warner Bros., who may be considering the possibility of future spinoff movies built around Batman’s most famous enemies. Hell, we’ve even heard murmurings of a potential offshoot for one Harvey Dent – the crooked attorney better known to you, I, and the people of Gotham as Two-Face.
Warner’s standalone Joker movie is now perched at the tip-top of the domestic box office, where it’ll likely remain this coming weekend once word of mouth begins to spread.
