"Joker" Breaks October Box-Office Records With $93.5 Million Debut

BYCole Blake2.0K Views
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Joker
"Joker" set records this weekend.

According to Variety, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Pheonix’s Joker has set the record for the highest-earning October box-office release of all time with $93.5 million at 4,374 sites. The previous record-holder was last year’s Venom with $80 million.

The film’s success comes despite viral controversy and security concerns. Many critics and members of the news media have expressed concerns that the film glorifies violence to such an extent that moviegoers may be in danger at theaters playing Joker. One Los Angeles theater canceled its screenings of the film after police reported a “credible” threat. Across the country in NYC, the NYPD reportedly placed undercover officers in theaters across the city. It seems that all the drama did not deter fans. 

With regard to the international box-office, Joker raked in $140.5 million from 22,552 screens in 73 markets. That brings the total worldwide opening weekend to $234 million.

This is now officially the biggest movie for Todd Philips, having now surpassed 2011’s The Hangover 2, which hauled in a massive $85.9 million. 

Universal’s “Abominable,” Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey,” STX’s “Hustlers,” and Warner Bros.’ “It: Chapter Two,” round out the top five box-office earners for the weekend.


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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