Does a strong 'Joker' box office weekend set up a franchise?
After a box office weekend that exceeded its own expectations, the success of “Joker” is no laughing matter. It is a potential franchise with what appears to be some serious staying power.
It was a $96 million domestic haul for the Warner Brothers movie, making it far and away the highest grosser of the weekend. In fact, it is now the highest-grossing October film of all-time.
“Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix seemed to give a verbal wink at the idea that there could be another installment of the movie down the road, including what might be a bit of lobbying he’s done with filmmaker Todd Phillips.
“You know, I wouldn’t have thought about this as my dream role,” Phoenix said in an interview on Popcorn with Peter Travers.
“But now, honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it. I talked to Todd a lot about what else we might be able to do, in general, just to work together, but also specifically, if there’s something else we can do with Joker that might be interesting.”
In addition to the domestic box office, the film adds $140.5 million from 73 international markets. The numbers dwarf the other top draws of the weekend, such as Universal’s animated movie “Abominable," which was second with $12 million. The "Downton Abbey" film, in its third week, fell to third with $8 million in sales but still has hauled in $73.6 million during its run.
Of the top 40 movies in domestic theaters this weekend, “Joker” accounted for 64 percent of the box office.
Talk that the movie’s ending sets it up well for a franchise is certainly met with what seems to be a voracious appetite for the storyline, at least based on the opening weekend. Phoenix’s intimations seem to point to an openness to pursue this storyline further.
Speculation that there could be another installment or two of the “Joker” franchise is also met with the reality that before its release, Phillips indicated that the movie would be a stand-alone film.
“Joker” exceeded expectations in the opening weekend but was clearly hurt by its R-rating and plenty of negative press. Controversy ranged from gun violence to dark themes, with concerns that there could be copycat crimes committed by viewers inspired by the dark storyline.
Despite the strong opening weekend, “Joker” still is far from having the highest-grossing opening week of the year. “Avengers: Endgame” holds the top spot with $357 million for its opening weekend release in late April.
The Avengers film was helped by a PG-13 rating, underscoring the inherent limitations of “Joker.”
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