Todd Phillips’ Joker Projected To Surpass Aquaman & Shazam! Openings

With Avengers: Endgame behind us, audiences are now looking towards the next outing in the comic book genre with the highly-anticipated DC Comics standalone centered around the infamous villain Joker, and early box office projections are already seeing it poised to surpass the past two DCEU opening weekends, according to Box Office Pro.

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The site’s report projects tracking for the film to make somewhere between $60 and $90 million and a $77 million three-day weekend, which would put it above the opening weekend grosses for Aquaman ($67.8 million) and Shazam! ($53.5 million). While initial reactions were polarized for the early trailers and production stills on the film, anticipation has been growing for the film as interviews have revealed how much of a passion project this has been for Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix and even talks of Oscar potential for Phoenix’s performance.

The film is currently set to have its North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival later this month, with TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey praising the film for its take on the well-worn comic book genre and comparing it to the works of Martin Scorcese.

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Joker centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.

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 Bradley Cooper under their Joint Effort banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. It is executive produced by Richard Baratta, Joseph Garner, and Bruce Berman.

Joker opens in theaters everywhere on October 4.

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