Joker Movie Crosses Another Milestone at Box Office

Joker continues to climb the box office charts. The DC Films production earned another $8.4 million from domestic theaters on Monday. That's enough to push the film past the $200 million mark to an 11-day domestic total of $201.99 million. Over the past weekend, Joker set a new record in its second weekend at the box office. The film earned $55 million to top the box office charts in its second weekend, blowing past more conservative projections that had pegged for around $40 million. That's 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's $96 million opening broke the October opening record set by Venom last year when it debuted to $80 million. Joker also broke Venom's October Friday box office record by earning $39.8 million on its first day in theaters. It was 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.

Joker is already the highest-grossing Warner Bros. release of the year at the global box office. "Not only did Joker over-perform in North America, but also internationally where the acclaim, buzz and controversy surrounding the film resonated strongly with moviegoers who put the film at the top of their cinematic priority list," Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted. "Movies that become part of the general conversation due to their controversial nature are often those that transcend their status as a movie to become a cultural event and this is exactly what happened with Joker."

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."

How do you feel about the box office success of Joker? Let us know what you think about it in the comments. Joker is now playing in theaters.

Upcoming DC Films 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, 2022.