Despite Media Fearmongering, ‘Joker’ Smashes Records in Box Office Opening

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Oct 6, 2019

‘Joker’ is set to smash box office records for a debut of a ‘villain’s’ comic book movie, in spite of an aggressive campaign against the movie by mainstream media outlets.

The film, directed by Todd Philips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, raked in $40 million on its opening night and $94 million within its first three days in theaters.

The film’s impressive debut flies in the face of assertions by mainstream media pundits objecting to its content.

‘Joker’ provides a new take on the infamous character’s origin story. In the film, a struggling, mentally ill comedian living on the margins of a liberal capitalist society is radicalized by his surroundings, transitioning into a violent criminal who seeks vengeance on mainstream society.

Some liberal commentators objected to what they saw as a glorification of a character they saw as comparable to a member of the modern-day ‘incel’ movement, who would be motivated to commit criminal acts after enduring romantic and sexual rejection.

In fact, it’s fair to say ‘Joker’ contains both left and right-wing themes- the titular character is partially forced off the edge when facing mockery and derision at the hands of the mainstream media. Without spoiling a central twist of the film, he also faces persecution at the hands of society’s richest and most powerful individuals.

Sources within the film industry project that ‘Joker’ will net up to $194 million during its worldwide opening, approaching the previous record for a comic book villain’s movie, currently held by ‘Venom.’ It ranges from possible to likely that ‘Joker’ will break the existing record over the length of its theater distribution.

In a development previously seen with social-justice themed movies beloved by elite media critics and disliked by everyday audiences, ‘Joker’ is highly rated by casual moviegoers, while being disliked by ‘professional’ movie critics.

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