Comic book movie “Joker” is poised to surpass $1 billion in global ticket sales on Friday, becoming the first R-rated Hollywood movie ever to overcome the milestone.
If we look at Box Office Mojo’s numbers, Joker has grossed $316.3 million domestically and $678.1 million internationally.
Joker will be the fourth DC title to cross $1 billion, behind Aquaman ($1.15 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.084 billion) and The Dark Knight ($1.005 billion), not adjusted for inflation.
Box office analyst Gitesh Pandya said Joker would top the $1 billion level on Friday.
“Absolutely jaw-dropping achievement for an R-rated film with a moderate budget and no China release,” Pandya, founder and editor of Box Office Guru, wrote on Twitter.
Its nearest R-rated rivals are 2018 movie Deadpool 2 ($785 million) and 2016’s Deadpool ($783 million), both starring Ryan Reynolds as a foul-mouthed superhero.
Joker is an original reinvention of a unique standalone story that introduces Phoenix as Fleck, a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s broken society. A clown-for-hire by day, he dreams to be a stand-up comic at night but realises the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between indifference and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that results in a chain reaction of escalating events.
The movie is expected to garner nominations in the upcoming Hollywood awards season and has inspired fans to visit the spot in New York’s Bronx district where Phoenix’s character transforms into the Joker, his face painted like a clown and with green hair as he dances triumphantly down a set of steep steps.
Have more to add to the story? Comment below and stay tuned for more!
