Joker is easily one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2019. Fans have been divided over whether they think the film will be a flop or an all-time classic, but early box office projections are suggesting that it’ll at least be a big moneymaker. The pic is even predicted to walk away with a higher opening weekend than Aquaman.
Box Office Pro is forecasting Joker to pull in approximately $77 million during its first weekend in theaters, which would outshine the impressive $67.8 million that Aquaman earned during its first three days in December of 2018. Of course, it’s still early and things can change, but the forecast is certainly looking good.
Not to mention that if these estimates are accurate, Joker has a serious chance to match or even break the all-time October debut record of $80.2 million set by Venom last year. It therefore also may overtake the $76.2 million that Halloween made on its opening weekend in 2018, which would give the film the distinction of being the highest opening for an R-rated movie in October ever.
There are clearly lots of financial records on the line here, but it’s at least worth mentioning that these numbers are far from an exact science. Joker could still massively underperform or grossly over-perform and these educated guesses should be treated as such until the final opening weekend ticket is accounted for later this year.
Of course, much of the film’s success will be based on how it’s received at festivals, as well as critics’ reaction to it. Joaquin Phoenix’s interpretation of the iconic titular villain could be as impactful as Heath Ledger’s or as divisive as Jared Leto’s. In short, fans should hedge their bets until at least the beginning of fall as the movie’s box office numbers, much like Joker himself, are still very unpredictable.