All the controversy has paid off. Literally.
Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin story directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, made $13.3 million on opening night, easily beating the previous October preview record set by Venom ($10 million) and runner-up Halloween ($7.7 million). The film is playing in 4,374 theaters across North America, which is “the widest location count ever for an October release,” according to the Hollywood Reporter:
Interest in the movie is running especially high among males, who made up nearly 70 percent of Thursday’s audience. For the full weekend, Joker is expected to top the list of biggest October openings with $80 million-plus… Warners is being more conservative in its forecast, suggesting $75 million to $80 million.
Joker is doing very well among males (shocking), but not children. The Alamo Drafthouse posted a note on its Facebook page warning parents to leave the kids at home. “PARENTAL WARNING (This is not a Joke). Joker is RATED R and for good reason. There’s lots of very, very rough language, brutal violence, and overall bad vibes. It’s a gritty, dark, and realistic Taxi Driver-esque depiction of one man’s descent into madness,” it reads. “It’s not for kids, and they won’t like it anyway. (There’s no Batman.).”
Is Birds of Prey out yet?
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
