Joker put on a happy face this weekend with a record-shattering debut.
The dark origin story from Warner Bros. and DC Films took in $93.5 million in its debut, the biggest opening weekend ever for a film released in October, Variety reports. The previous record-holder was 2018's Venom, Sony's standalone film about the titular Spider-Man villain that opened to $80.2 million, meaning this is the second year in a row that the October box office record has been broken by a film centered around a comic book antagonist.
Clearly, the controversy surrounding Joker didn't set it back. The film has sparked criticism in recent weeks over its sympathetic depiction of a loner who lashes out at society, with some voicing concerns that it could inspire violence. Certain theaters around the country saw increased police presence for the movie's opening weekend, with one in California closing down Thursday night due to a credible threat.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But audiences still turned out in droves to the point that Joker made roughly the same in its opening weekend as the DC team-up blockbuster Justice League, despite being a slow-paced, R-rated character study with a reported budget of $55 million. Now, with plenty of buzz surrounding Joaquin Phoenix's performance, prepare for Oscar voters to send in the clowns to the 2020 Academy Awards.
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
