‘Joker’ Is the Most Profitable Comic-Book Movie Ever
Joker has now made an incredible $948 million worldwide, including $303 million in the U.S. (it’s currently the seventh-biggest domestic movie of the year, ahead of blockbusters like It: Chapter Two, Hobbs & Shaw, and The Secret Life of Pets 2) and another $645 million overseas. According to Forbes those staggering numbers now make it the most profitable comic book movie of all time. Ever. In history. In other words: It’s a hit.
More, from Forbes:
The most profitable “big” comic book movies are Venom ($854 million on a $90 million budget), Batman ($411 million/$35 million), Deadpool ($783 million/$58 million), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($200 million/$13.5 million), The Mask ($351 million/$23 million) and now Joker ($956 million/$62.5 million). That means DC Films and Warner Bros.’ Joker is the most profitable comic book movie of all time.
While Joker does feature maybe the most famous DC Comics bad guy of all time, it’s also a grim, bleak character study. It doesn’t have Batman (at least not in costume), and it’s filled with dark imagery and horrifying violence. And ... it’s now the most profitable comic book movie ever? As I’ve written before, it’s so interesting to note that when DC ditched their attempts to copy the Marvel Cinematic Universe and instead focused deeply on one character and its unique qualities, it paid off enormously. (To date, Joker has made $291 million more worldwide than Justice League.) Hopefully the takeaway here is to do more bold, unusual takes on comic books, and not just more Joker movies.
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Gallery — The Coolest Joker Easter Eggs and Movie References: