Box office experts are forecasting that Joker is eyeing an opening weekend of $80 million-plus.
There is certainly a significant buzz around the Joker but with some of the recent controversy around the film, such as the way it depicts violence, has this dented its box office chances?
Not according to experts in a recent report from Deadline. They seem to think Joker is all set for a very healthy box office debut, with figures in excess of $80 million, which would beat last year’s Venom. The report reads:
“Despite all the headlines out about potential threats and theater security due to Joker‘s too-close-to-home storyline about a madman who gets hold of a gun, the Warner Bros movie has remained solid on tracking over the last two-weeks plus, with reports still seeing an $80M-plus opening that is poised to beat last year’s October opening record set by Sony’s Venom ($80.2M over three days, $90M over four days thanks to Columbas Day holiday on October 8).”
Furthermore, Joker is said to be tracking an additional $75 million from international markets, giving it a worldwide opening in the region of $155 million across its first Friday to Sunday period.
SEE ALSO: Joker director says the film isn’t trying to glorify violence
These kinds of figures not only put it in similar territory to Venom but also films like Logan and It Chapter Two. Time will only tell and, of course, box office figures are only half of the story.
Joker centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.
Joker is set for release on October 4th 2019 and stars Joaquin Phoenix (The Sisters Brothers), Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Billions), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood) and Dante Pereira-Olson (You Were Never Really Here).