Joker takes the box office by storm

Joker, the movie, is a worldwide success. Joaquin Phoenix, the main actor, is also having fun financially.

Joaquin Phoenix’s turn as Bruce Wayne’s nemesis in the Hollywood film Joker hauled an estimated $93.5 million in North American ticket sales over the weekend.

Worldwide, Joker made $234 million. It’s now the biggest debut for an October release in cinematic history, unseating last year’s Venom (which did $80 million). Joker also takes the cake as the largest opening for a Warner Bros. film this year and one of the biggest openings for an R-rated movie ever.

R-rated is a PG way of putting it. Joker depicts a troubled, isolated man turning into a killer…which some have suggested might unintentionally paint the character as inspirational or heroic.

Before Joker’s release, the FBI and Dept. of Homeland Security alerted law enforcement to threats to moviegoers circulating the web. Warner Bros. responded that the film is not “an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind.”

On the bright side, Phoenix’s performance has inspired some awards season chatter, even if reviews of the movie were largely B+.

In recent years, Phoenix has starred in movies like Her and Inherent Vice. And as the Daily Mail reported, his salary has varied throughout his career. Phoenix reportedly earned just $375,000 for 2000’s Quills, yet pocketed $3.5 million for the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line five years later. Gladiator is Phoenix’s highest-grossest movie worldwide (so far), although his salary for that movie is unknown.

According to information revealed by Variety, Phoenix was paid $4.5 million for Joker, a significant fee for a film that began as a fairly low-budget project, but is now taking the box office by storm.