Despite having barely finished its theatrical release – a lengthy one given its jaw-dropping financial success – Joker has already been pencilled in for its home viewing bow. The psychological psycho-drama starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular clown will be available for Digital and Blu-ray purchase on December 17th, well in time to get it under the tree – should you wish to traumatize your loved ones this Christmas.
The movie’s official Twitter feed, @JokerMovie, made the announcement with a typically unnerving promo, though I confess that Jimmy Durante song is starting to wear thin on me. Try as I might to smile, I think I’ll have more luck without hearing the word worm its way through my mind every time I think I have a moment’s peace. If the marketeer’s aim was to convey how it feels to lose your marbles, go off your rocker, have a screw loosened, go round the bend (OK, message received), subliminally fraying the emotional stability of their viewers was a smart promotional approach.
Own #JokerMovie on Digital 12/17 and Blu-ray™ 1/7.https://t.co/9VgaXmCpDZ pic.twitter.com/t9XrPrekSU
— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) December 3, 2019
Now that the sanity of this bean-counter has been compromised, there’s little left to do other than rattle off your staple Joker factoids. Let’s see. The highest grossing R-rated movie of all time? Check. The most profitable comic book movie of all time? Check. The most commercially successful clown advert ever made? I’ll admit to making that one up.
When you let the dust settle on all that trivia you’ve probably read a hundred times elsewhere (I’ve written a few), Joker’s been a pretty big deal, and totally unexpected given all the other superhero material that’s been crowding the box office this year, like Captain Marvel, Shazam!, Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Some things you just never see coming though, right?