Joker's Joaquin Phoenix Surprises Fans in Theaters

Not only did Joker break some major box office records during its opening outing this past weekend, but some fans attending screenings at Alamo Drafthouse locations on Los Angeles also got an extra surprise from the film and it's star. Throughout the day on Saturday, Joker star Joaquin Phoenix appeared at a few different showings of the movie, talking with the audience before and after the film played. This gave fans the chance to ask Phoenix questions about his titular villain.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix showed up in a few Alamo Drafthouse screenings in a dark hoodie, black pants, and sneakers, hiding out until he had the opportunity to reveal himself in front of the entire crowd. He spent time after these screenings talking with fans, answering questions from the film, and posing for pictures with those who asked.

"I hope you liked it," Phoenix told the crowds. "Don't tell me if you didn't. Even if you did, I don't want to know. But thanks so much."

Despite the controversy surrounding Joker's subject matter, and director Todd Phillips' flippant comments about the state of the industry, the film spoke for itself and broke Venom's October box office record, hauling in $93.5 million over the course of the weekend.

A major part of Joker's appeal comes from Phoenix's performance as the iconic villain. Portrayed as a mentally unstable man who slowly loses control over the course of the film, Phoenix delivered a much different version of the character than has been seen in the past, including a terrifying laugh that's consistently brought on by a debilitating condition. According to Phoenix, that was a big challenge when bringing the character to life.

"I don't know that there was ever a point. I think from take to take, there were times that it felt genuine and good and there were times it didn't," he told ComicBook.com. "There were some takes where I would stop halfway through because I would say, 'It's not working' and it was actually working fine. I don't know how much is my laugh. It was really based on videos that I saw of people that have these laughing fits that are uncontrollable. That really was my model."

Did you see Joker this weekend? What did you think of DC's latest? Let us know in the comments!