Joker is on course to smash box office records, with the latest industry projections suggesting that it will eclipse last year’s Venom as the most successful October debut in box office history.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Joaquin Phoenix-led origin story is set to pull in an enormous $82 million in its opening weekend.
Other tracking sources told the industry paper that a $77 million opening is also possible, along with a figure as high as $87 million.
If a figure over $80 million materialises, it would mean Joker would just best last year’s Venom as the biggest October opening in history.
Venom, which starred Tom Hardy as the iconic Spider-Man villain of the title and boasted on its posters that it’s time to “root for the bad guy,” grossed $80.2 million in its opening weekend.
Phoenix is expected to earn a Best Actor nomination for his role as Arthur Fleck in the DC film, which is directed by Todd Philips.
Joker received an eight-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, while Phoenix also delivered an emotional speech at this month’s Toronto International Film Festival, where he credited his late brother River for his successful career.
Joker is released in cinemas on 4 October.
