Joker Wins Second Straight Record-Breaking Weekend at the Box Office

Joker continues to set records in its second weekend as the the box office. The film will earn $55 million to top the box office charts in its second weekend, blowing past more conservative projections that had it down for around $40 million. That's also the biggest second weekend for a film in October in box office history, surpassing Gravity's $43.1 million in 2013.

In its opening weekend, Joker broke the October record set by Venom last year when it debuted to $80 million, as well as Venom's October Friday box office record by earning $39.8 million on its first day in theaters. It was also a career-best opening for director Todd Phillips, whose previous high opening was The Hangover 2's $85.9 million, and an opening weekend record for star Joaquin Phoenix, whose previous high mark was $60.1 million for Signs in 2002. The film is now closing in on $200 million at the domestic box office.

Joker is a grounded, R-rated origin story for Batman's archnemesis, the Joker. Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, who descends into madness and emerges as the clown-faced killer known as the Joker. The film also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron.

The film is proving polarizing with critics. ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis calls the film a masterpiece is his 5-star review, writing, "Whether or not Joker is a social commentary on issues such as poverty or mental illness, a new and mysterious take on the best known DC Comics villain, or just another unforgettable piece of cinema which producer Martin Scorsese is attached to, you'll need to see to believe it and, even then, you still might not believe it."

The new animated The Addams Family movie opens in second play with $30.5 million. Ang Lee and Will Smith's Gemini Man disappoints with a $20 million, third-place opening. Keep reading to see this weekend's top 10 at the box office.