Ten years ago, when a film reached $1 billion in worldwide grosses, that was enough for studios to pop open a bottle of champagne and watch their stocks shoot through the roof. Now, in 2019, there are actually films that are considered disappointments if they don’t reach the coveted milestone, as there are now 43 films to reach the $1 billion mark. But in the case of “Joker,” not only is $1 billion a cause for massive celebration at Warner Bros. but also an incredible achievement in the film industry, in general.
According to Forbes, after today’s receipts are counted, “Joker” will have officially crossed the $1 billion milestone at the worldwide box office. In doing so, the film becomes the first R-rated film in history to reach that goal, and only the fourth WB superhero film to hit that financial mark. Previously, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” as well as last year’s “Aquaman,” all earned more than $1 billion for the studio.
But it’s when you consider those three films, along with the fact that “Joker” is an R-rated drama that cost a mere $62.5 million to produce, that you begin to see just how special this milestone is for the film and the industry at large.
Now, regardless of your hot take about the film, when we look at the numbers, it’s clear that director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix were able to tap into the cultural zeitgeist at the exact right moment with a film that is actually worthy of discussion amongst cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. This isn’t the latest Marvel Studios film or ‘Fast & Furious’ sequel we’re talking about. Hell, this isn’t even something that you can easily compare to Nolan’s ‘Batman’ films. And you most definitely can’t put it up against “Aquaman” and think they’re somehow similar. “Joker” is wholly unique and sets itself apart from just about everything else in the $1 billion club.
And yes, it’s really easy to lump “Joker” in as a “superhero” or “comic book” movie, but take away the face paint and the title, you’re looking at Todd Phillips reimagining “Taxi Driver” and the cinema of Martin Scorsese. And he did it at a discount. So, when you take that into consideration and you look at the 43 other films to reach the financial milestone, “Joker” stands alone.
READ MORE: ‘Joker’ Is Now The Most Profitable Comic Book Film Of All Time At The Box Office
Take away the Marvel films, DC films, ‘Fast’ films, ‘Star Wars,’ Disney animated films, and the other movies that are part of some franchise or planned franchise, and you’re left with two films — “Titanic” and “Joker.” And let’s be real, “Titanic” is a film that cost almost four times as much as “Joker,” has a more friendly rating, and had James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Really, it can’t be understated just how impressive it is that a film that cost $62.5 million to produce, from the director of “The Hangover” and an actor that is an icon in the arthouse community, has earned $1 billion. Oh yeah, and it didn’t even get released in China.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the entire conversation is that “Joker” will easily become the highest-grossing film to never appear on a screen in China, passing “The Dark Knight” in the days to come to reach that goal. And while you can take out the Chinese totals from films like “Avengers: Endgame” and still outgross “Joker,” the fact that this film and ‘Dark Knight’ are the only two that can say that they reached a billion while never appearing in China is astonishing.
Okay, okay, okay. Enough with the nerdgasms over the box office totals. What does it mean for the future of the film industry? Well, the extent of WB’s success with “Joker” has yet to fully be realized. Perhaps studios will be more willing to give filmmakers with strong ideas and a solid script the chance to make their weird, modestly-budgeted R-rated film using some established IP. And maybe the inverse will happen, as well. You could be looking at other filmmakers that want to Trojan Horse their weird film idea into an existing IP vehicle and get the big studio approval to do so.
Long story short, we’re looking at a film that has shown that R-rated films can reach $1 billion. “Joker” has proven that dark, depressing, violent, and uncomfortable films can reach a mass audience. It’s shown that a filmmaker with a strong enough idea can use IP in a unique way and make tons of cash. And perhaps the most relevant of all, you don’t have to spend $200 million on a comic book movie for it to make a profit.
But this is Hollywood we’re talking about. Even with several good lessons to learn, studios will still likely take the one bad idea and run with it. We should probably prepare for all your childhood comic book and cartoon villains getting the Scorsese R-rated treatment. Yay…