In its fourth weekend of release, Joker raked in another $US 18.9 million in North America bringing its North American tally to $US 277.9 million. It also pulled in another $US 47.8 million outside of North America for a total of $US 574.1 million. So, as it stands, Joker has grossed a staggering $US 852 million worldwide in just 24 days. As far as R-rated films are concerned, this is completely unheard of, literally. The Todd Phillips film has officially broken the record for highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
The record was held for more than two decades by 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded ($US 742 million) until Deadpool ($US 782.6 million) and Deadpool 2 ($US 785 million) broke the record in 2016 and 2018 respectively. But Joker has smashed that milestone to pieces, having already overcome it by about $US 70 million. The best part is, Joker isn’t even nearing the end of its run just yet.
In fact, it’s still going from strength to strength. Over in North America, Joker topped Maleficent: Mistress of Evil this past weekend to once again clinch the top spot of the weekend box office. What’s interesting is that Joker lost its top spot last weekend to Maleficent (opening weekend), but then came back with a vengeance this past weekend to knock Maleficent down and reclaim its top spot. It’s an unprecedented feat. According to Forbes, in the 21st Century, only four other movies have done this: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Passion of the Christ, Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
So where does Joker go next? The first order of business would be to surpass Batman V Superman‘s $US 873 million, which it should do by the end of the week. The coveted $US 1 billion club seems to be within arm’s length, but it could prove to be one of those so-close-yet-so-far situations, especially since the film will likely not get a China release. In any case, I’m certain the film will at least gross $US 900 million by the end of its run.
Joker is currently screening in Malaysian cinemas.
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