Joker: Breaking Records and Causing Controversy

If you ask 100 avid movie goers about the most influential and powerful performances over the past few years, it’s fair to say that Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight would get a number of mentions. Therefore, it was a huge risk to bring the character back. Was the risk worthwhile? According to the rave reviews and box office records currently being broken, this is an easy question to answer.

Box Office Records and Positive Reception

According to several sources, including Box Office Mojo (a reliable source for all things box office related), Joker took between $90 and $100 million in the opening weekend. With this in mind, it has been named as the most successful October opening of all-time. Domestically speaking, the new movie outpaced the previous holder of this record, Venom, and is expected to soar in the coming weeks as a result.

Not only did the movie get close to $100 million in the opening weekend alone in the US, it contributed to a $140 million weekend – the biggest in terms of revenue in two months and the release of Hobbs & Shaw.

As mentioned previously, Joker has been received well by (most) viewers and the industry as a whole. Over the weekend, the social media world seemed to be praising Joaquin Phoenix for bringing the character back to our screens so successfully. Although the movie only earned a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score on the same website is now above 90%. Elsewhere, IMDB has given it a rating of 9/10.

Too Terrifying for Some?

Despite the mostly positive reviews of Joker, there has also been a number of outlets reporting people leaving theaters all over the world due to the violent nature of the movie. Interestingly, it has led to a serious debate about the movie world and how directors, producers, and writers deal with the events of the real world. While most viewers seemingly love the movie and even the violent scenes, others have stated that it is too terrifying considering what’s happening in real life.

Furthermore, others have stated that the movie glamorizes both mental health issues and gun violence. In the coming weeks, we’re sure this is a debate that will roll on. Additionally, the movie uses a Gary Glitter track which has also caused uproar all over the globe. Now incarcerated for pedophilia, Glitter is set to earn ‘hundreds of thousands’ in royalties due to this one appearance in Joker.

After the Colorado shooting in 2012 at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, security at Joker screenings has been high and many movie goers have noticed this trend. Thankfully, there hasn’t been any reports of a serious incident (although one Californian theater closed for a short period due to reports of a threat).

How far will Joker go in the box office? We’re sure this isn’t the last time we report on the new movie!