Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Joker has proven to be a huge success at the Venice Film Festival, the Joaquin Phoenix-headlined comic book adaptation having received an eight-minute standing ovation at its premiere before being named the recipient of the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, by the jury yesterday.
Last month it was reported that the Todd Phillips-helmed film was heading for a domestic opening in the region of $60 million, but as the buzz continues to build for the movie, tracking site Box Office Pro is now suggesting that Joker is on course for a record breaking October bow.
According to the site, Joker is now looking at a potential domestic opening north of $100 million, which would shatter the $80.3 million record for October set by Venom last year, and give it one of the top five biggest ever openings of all time for an R-rated movie (the record is currently held by Deadpool on $132 million).
SEE ALSO: Joker director explains why the film is not a typical comic book origin movie
Given that Joker has been produced on a budget of just $55 million, it looks like Warner and DC have a solid financial hit on their hands – and given its Golden Lion success, the studios must be quietly confident that the Clown Prince of Crime has a good shot at making an impression during the awards season.
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).
Originally published September 8, 2019. Updated November 26, 2019.
