Joker Movie Now on Track to Clear $1 Billion at Box Office

DC’s Joker movie was a big risk venture, but it’s definitely reaping some big rewards. Joker has broken numerous box office awards from biggest October opening ever both domestically and internationally (and on IMAX), to biggest R-rated opening, to career best openings for both director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix. However in the world of comic book movies (even smaller-scale ventures like Joker), the real measure of success is crossing that coveted billion-dollar mark. And now, at the time of writing this, it looks like Joker is going to go that distance!

Ironically, news of Joker‘s impending success comes with the news of Terminator: Dark Fate‘s box office failure. As Variety reports:

“…Warner Bros.’ “Joker” benefitted from Halloween and held steady at No. 2, declining just 29% to $13.6 million in its fifth weekend of release. “Joker” has generated a huge $299 million in North America and $934 million globally, putting Joaquin Phoenix’s super-villain origin story on track to clear the $1 billion mark worldwide.”

A lot of DC fans (and critics) were concerned early on that Joker might not have the staying power that it has now so clearly demonstrated. The pop-culture spotlight on the film and its various “controversies” propelled Joker into its massively successful opening weekend. However, it’s been a testament to the level of depth that Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix baked into the film that fans have been discussing and debating it so fervently. Topics like whether or not Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck actually experiences the events of the film (or just imagined them) have sent people back into the theater to give Joker a second look, while word-of-mouth in general has been strong enough to lure in an audience that extends far beyond the usual circles of superhero movie fans.

That includes cinephiles who were lured in by Joker‘s buzz generated on the festival circuit, or the early awards talk for both Phillips and Phoenix, which may actually be the biggest and best source of fuel to get Joker over that $1 billion mark. We’re now into November, and Warner Bros. has already begun the awards season campaigning for Joker, potentially exposing the film to those who tuned out the chatter during the initial release window. With serious cinematic awards now on the table, it’s kind of hard not to take notice.

Joker is now in theaters. Upcoming DC Movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2020.