‘Joker’ Boasts a Strong Opening Weekend Despite Controversies
It comes as no surprise that the highly anticipated Joker opened well this past weekend. Joker made $96 million domestically, making it the largest October opening of all time, toppling another superhero film, Venom. Worldwide, the film had a very impressive haul of $234 million, which is one of the largest openings for an R-rated film.
Joker continues to prove that there is big money to be made in superhero adaptations, and there is no sign of the genre slowing down at the box office. Even though this is not your average superhero adaptation, this interpretation of the character is more at home alongside films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Director Todd Phillips even stated, “it’s not a big stretch to remake ‘The King of Comedy,’ directly, with the Joker in the lead role.”
The release of Joker has come with no shortage of controversy. There have been fears the film could incite violence, and it has faced some criticism regarding how it tackles mental health. This has evidently not affected the film’s success, though it will be interesting to see how it will affect the film’s award potential.
The film boasts an amazing performance by Joaquin Phoenix, which by itself makes the incredibly dark origin a must-see, with what may be a career high from the distinguished actor.
Joker is in cinemas now. Check out the trailer below:
