Entertainment

Warner Bros.’ Joker has survived the intense controversy over its violent themes to take in an estimated US$93.5 million in North American theaters this weekend, setting a record for an October release, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Joker provides the backstory for the rise of Batman’s maniacal nemesis, painting a dark and disturbing portrayal of a would-be stand-up comedian’s descent into madness.

Amid fears that it might inspire violence – a shooting at a 2012 screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado claimed 12 lives – some theaters provided extra security for the opening of Joker. The film, directed by Todd Phillips (maker of “The Hangover” trilogy), has drawn tepid reviews; the Washington Post called it “grim, shallow (and) distractingly derivative.” But Hollywood Reporter said the R-rated film got a B+ CinemaScore rating and earned 69% on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

Universal’s family-friendly Abominable placed a distant second at the box office, earning US$12 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period in its second weekend. It tells the story of a teen and her friends trying to help a young Yeti reunite with its family as a wealthy man seeks to capture it as a prize. In third, at US$8 million, was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey, the cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series about an upper-class family and their stately home in a changing Britain. The movie has the Crawleys and their earnest staff scrambling to prepare for an unexpected visit by the British royals.

Hustlers from STX Films placed fourth, at US$6.3 million. The Jennifer Lopez movie is based on a true story about strippers who plot to steal from their wealthy clients in recession-hit New York. And in fifth was horror film IT: Chapter Two, at US$5.4 million. The Warner Bros. movie features the grown-up versions of the kids who battled the terrifying clown Pennywise 27 years earlier as they are forced to do it again.

Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were:

Ad Astra (US$4.6 million)

Judy (US$4.4 million)

Rambo: Last Blood (US$3.6 million)

War (US$1.6 million)

Good Boys (US$900,000)

Source: AFP Relax News

Related: Joaquin Phoenix is the New Joker, But Not as You’re Used To Seeing Him