Joker Set to Cross Record $1 Billion Mark This Weekend

It’s been the little comic book adaptation that could and after a month of polarizing critics and audiences alike, the Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker is set to break another record at the box office this weekend by becoming the first R-rated movie to cross the $1 billion mark, according to Entertainment Weekly.

RELATED: Todd Phillips Reveals Fate of Zazie Beetz’ Character in Joker

The film has already set numerous records at the box office, including becoming the most profitable film based on a comic book property with a smaller estimated budget of $55-70 million, and currently sits at $995.1 million in global gross, with Warner Bros. announcing it’s set to cross the $1 billion mark after this weekend.

Director Todd Phillips’ original, standalone origin story Joker explores the world of—and according to—Arthur Fleck. Indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, Arthur is a man facing the cruelty and outright scorn of society, along with the indifference of a system that allows him to spiral from vulnerability into depravity. A clown-for-hire by day, he strives to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds that the joke always seems to be on him. He’s out of tune with everyone around him, as evidenced by his uncontrollable, inappropriate laughter, which gains momentum as he attempts to contain it, exposing him to further ridicule—and even violence.

Arthur, who devotes himself to caring for his fragile mother, seeks out every father figure he’s never had, from wealthy businessman Thomas Wayne to TV host Murray Franklin. Caught in a cyclical existence teetering on the precipice of reality and madness, one bad decision brings about a chain reaction of escalating, ultimately deadly, events.

Buy The Joker: A Celebration Of 75 Years here and catch up on the Clown Prince of Crime.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular villain with Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow, Molly’s Game), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Barry), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), and Shea Whigham (First Man).

RELATED: New Joker Trailer Gives the Story Behind the Clown Prince of Crime

Todd Phillips (The Hangover trilogy) directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with writer Scott Silver (The Fighter), based on characters from DC. The film is being produced by Phillips and MCU mainstay Bradley Cooper under their Joint Effort banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. It is executive produced by Richard Baratta, Joseph Garner, and Bruce Berman.

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