”We were able to show audiences everywhere that this isn’t a comic book movie for the whole family but does provide something different and interesting,“ Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution for Warner Bros., told TheWrap
Every weekend, “Joker” has continued to defy box office expectations. With $851 million grossed worldwide through four weekends, Todd Phillips’ Golden Lion-winning comic book movie is now the highest grossing R-Rated movie ever released, and it has a good shot at hitting $1 billion despite being anything but family friendly.
What’s interesting about the barnstorming October this DC movie has had at the box office is how both its long-enduring run and its evolving audience are extremely similar in both the U.S. and internationally. Domestically, “Joker” opened to a strong but not record-breaking $96 million and since then has not had a weekend-to-weekend drop above 50% as it has earned a running count of $277 million and could get close to the $327 million total of fellow R-Rated WB release “It.”
Continue reading
Join WrapPRO for Exclusive Content,
Full Video Access, Premium Events, and More!
Also Read: Ryan Reynolds Congratulates 'Joker' for Breaking 'Deadpool' Box Office Record: 'You Motherf--er'
Such strong holds have also been seen in the film’s international weekend totals, which sit at $574 million so far and rank third among all DC films. Within that are all-time Warner Bros. records in 14 countries, including Russia and Mexico, over $100 million grossed in Latin America, and DC movie records in 34 countries, including Japan, Italy and Argentina
Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution for Warner Bros., told TheWrap that much like in the U.S., the perfect storm of pre-release publicity buzz was the key to “Joker”‘s success throughout the rest of the world. It started with the film’s shocking victory at the Venice Film Festival and was followed by reports of increased security at some theaters. Phillips’ polarizing response to the pre-release backlash just further established “Joker” as a hot-button topic before it even hit theaters.
And the only way for moviegoers to determine whether the hype and fears were truly justified was to see the film for themselves.
Also Read: What Is 'Joker' Trying to Say About Poverty and Mental Illness? (Podcast)
“We’re seeing strong turnout from the sort of people who would never otherwise see a film like this, and I think that’s credit to both the pre-release publicity and the really strong job our marketing team did promoting the film in all territories,” Cripps said. “We have to deal with different ratings standards from country to country, but overall we were able to show audiences everywhere that this isn’t a comic book movie for the whole family but does provide something different and interesting.”
Sure enough, there were no shootings the weekend Joker came out… but there were plenty of rave reviews from hardcore DC fans. Most of that hardcore fanbase skewed millennial and male, with 64% of the domestic audience being men. While the opening was lower than more family-friendly DC films like “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman,” the film’s strong word of mouth with a 4/5 on Postrak and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes was enough to get casual moviegoers who were on the fence about seeing “Joker” to go see it to be part of the watercooler talk.
So in the last couple weeks, “Joker” has seen its audience slowly expand to all quadrants. College-age, Gen Z moviegoers have particularly turned out recently, as the weekend audience share for ages 18-24 has risen from 22% on opening weekend to 36% now, according to WB’s demographic data.
Also Read: 'El Camino' Might Have Beaten 'Joker' at Weekend Box Office If Released in Theaters Nationwide
The audience also has become more populated by women and infrequent moviegoers. According to data from analytics firm Movio, “Joker” saw a 21% growth in female audience share from first to second weekend, higher than the jump for “Aquaman” (14%) and “Venom” (18%). The decline in frequent moviegoers — those who buy a ticket at least once per month — from the first to third weekend also stood at 15%, compared to 10% for “Venom” and 8% for “Aquaman.”
Even as the initial core demographics have remained strong thanks to repeat viewings from millennial men, it is interest from women, Gen Z, and some older audiences possibly intrigued by Phoenix’s growing awards buzz that have the film approaching $300 million domestic and $900 million worldwide.
While it hasn’t earned the unanimous praise of something like “Avengers: Endgame” — largely because it isn’t designed as a crowd pleaser — “Joker” has earned enough praise beyond the male comic book fans expected to be its biggest champion to defy the usual box office ceiling set for R-Rated films. While other recent populist awards contenders like “Get Out” and “Black Panther” have made their millions first and then become Oscar favorites months later, “Joker” has hit that increasingly rare spot of a film that grows momentum for both simultaneously.
With a very crowded November slate coming up, it’s not entirely sure whether the film’s late-stage theatrical performance will be enough to push it pass the ultimate $1 billion benchmark. But whether or not it does, this $55 million crime drama with clown makeup and DC pedigree has proven once again that the power of the comic book genre over the box office as it delves into lower budgets, darker tones, and more topical issues.
Pennywise, Joker and Wrinkles: 12 Best Scary Clowns in Movies and TV (Photos)
-
What was once a symbol of silly circus fun has been turned into one of the most ubiquitous images in horror. So if you're in the mood for a circus from hell, here's a look at some of the scariest clowns from film and TV.
-
"Poltergeist" (1982) --
One of the most famous frights from this messed-up classic is the clown doll. The camera keeps showing it, so you know it's going to attack soon... and even with the warning it still manages to shock everyone.
-
"Killer Klowns From Outer Space" (1988) --
This movie is... indescribable. It's not scary in the truest sense. It's just macabre and deliberately so-bad-its-good, and it features a final boss monster called Jojo The Klownzilla. It's one of the most famous cult movies ever made, and a sequel had been planned by 20th Century Fox...until Disney killed it after acquiring the studio in March 2019.
-
Pennywise, "IT" (1990) --
The most famous evil clown ever first appeared on screen in the original 1990 movie based on Stephen King's story. For some, Tim Curry's portrayal of a killer clown that only kids from Maine can see is the height of creepiness. For others, Curry's "Rocky Horror" levels of camp make Pennywise more amusing than frightening. In both instances, Tim Curry commands attention.
-
Fox
Krusty Doll, "The Simpsons" (1992) --
This killer clown is low on the horror scale but high on the laughs. In one of the most famous "Treehouse of Horror" sequences, "Clown Without Pity," Homer buys Bart a Krusty the Klown doll that tries to kill him. The store where Homer gets the doll and the resolution to the plot are some of the most famous gags "The Simpsons" have ever produced.
-
Sony
Sweet Tooth, "Twisted Metal" (1995) --
There's nothing funny about this clown. Needles Kane, a.k.a. Sweet Tooth, is a serial killer cursed to feel the pain of having his scalp engulfed in unquenchable flames. Toothie and his ice cream truck have become the icons of the "Twisted Metal" video game series, particularly after he was given his current, nightmarish design in the 2001 PS2 game "Twisted Metal Black."
-
"Killjoy" (2000) --
This film and clown have a special place in the cult horror pantheon. The "Killjoy" series is one of the most infamously panned franchises in the genre. It currently has a 2.5/10 rating on IMDB. Yet it has become a must-watch for masochists looking to plow their way through the most infamous bad movies of all time.
-
Capt. Spaulding, "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003) --
The most memorable character in Rob Zombie's critically panned but secretly beloved cult slasher flick. Played by the late Sid Haig, Spaulding sports gross makeup and disgusting teeth as he leads the movie's protagonists to their doom. In the sequel, "The Devil's Rejects," he eventually abandons the clown schtick and becomes even more evil.
-
FX
Twisty, "American Horror Story: Freak Show" (2015) --
For all the criticisms surrounding season 4 of "AHS," it created a modern day horror icon with this disfigured clown that has come to be the unofficial mascot of the entire series. That Twisty was able to leave a mark in the psyches of "AHS" fans everywhere in a scene filmed in broad daylight is a testament to the show's reliance on actors rather than gimmicks to create its finest moments.
-
"31" (2016) --
After the reception towards Capt. Spaulding, Rob Zombie decided to make a film focused around killer clowns. Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon, plays the leader of a group of carnival workers forced to play a deadly game where they are the prey of a troupe of evil clowns.
-
Warner Bros.
Pennywise (Again), "It" (2017) and "It: Chapter Two" (2019) --
Creepy Clown Mania got even crazier with the return of Pennywise in a new "It" adaptation from Andy Muschietti. Played this time by Bill Skarsgard, the new Pennywise is a vicious, hateful bully who delights in seeing the terrified looks of his victims before he devours them. And that makes his demise at the hands of the Losers Club all the more satisfying.
-
Warner Bros.
Joker (2019) --
Your mileage may vary on whether Joaquin Phoenix's take on the most infamous villain in Gotham City is the creepiest of them all, but it's certainly a contender. Perhaps what makes Arthur Fleck the most disturbing is that he is tangibly human, a person left behind by a decaying society to suffer until he becomes its worst nightmare.
-
Wrinkles the Clown (2019) --
Let's conclude with a real-life creepy clown. In 2015, reports surfaced of an anonymous man in Florida who began offering his services to parents of misbehaving children as a decrepit clown named Wrinkles, who would show up and terrify the daylights out of the young'uns. His status as an internet legend became so big that a documentary about his exploits, was released in 2019.
There’s no clowning around here
What was once a symbol of silly circus fun has been turned into one of the most ubiquitous images in horror. So if you're in the mood for a circus from hell, here's a look at some of the scariest clowns from film and TV.
Jeremy Fuster
Box Office Reporter • jeremy.fuster@thewrap.com • Twitter: @jeremyfuster