‘Joker’ Just Became The Biggest Rated-R Movie Of All Time
Director Todd Phillips is celebrating quite the victory today, as Joker has officially become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The Warner Brothers flick currently boasts a worldwide gross over $788.3 million, with $256 million of that total coming from the United States alone, according to Forbes. This week’s gross pushed Joker above Deadpool ($782.6 million) and Deadpool 2 ($785 million), allowing it to jump to the No. 1 spot. The film is expected to pass the $800 million mark on Friday or Saturday, putting it a very esteemed category of films.
Once it passes $800 million this weekend, Joker will become the 86th highest-grossing film of all time. It’s currently standing strong at 93, but will likely break into the top 75 by the time its theater run ends. The movie is currently the 120th highest-grossing film in the United States but will climb the charts over the next few weeks.
Projections have the Joaquin Phoenix film earning over $900 million by the time its run is over, but some are suggesting the film will easily make over $1 billion. In the end, the film should turn a $400 million profit. The records should come as no surprise, with moviegoers and critics praising the film equally.
According to Box Office Mojo, Joker also holds the record for the largest October opening ever with an impressive $93.5 million weekend. The film handily beat out 2018’s Venom by $13.25 million.
Ryan Reynolds took to Twitter to congratulate the entire Joker team on stealing his record, but of course, in only a way the Deadpool star could — by editing the film’s poster and adding the tagline, “You Mother F*cker.” At the bottom of the poster were the highest-earning R-rated movies of all time, but they were alluded to and not specifically named. The list read: “Deadpool, Neo (The Matrix: Reloaded), Pennywise (It), Jesus (The Passion of the Christ), Hugh Jackman (Logan), The Wolfpack (The Hangover), Mr. Grey (50 Shades of Grey), and Ted.”
Domestically, Joker is the 11th highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, proving international success is paramount. In addition to the films named by Reynolds, American Sniper also beats out Joker for domestic releases.
In the superhero movie genre, Joker sits at No. 22 on the highest-grossing list. Many would not consider Joker a superhero film, but since the titular character hails from the Batman comics, it will always be compared to the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe. If Joker passes $900 million as expected, the film will topple Venom, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Spider-Man 3, but fall just behind The Dark Knight.
