It’s official folks, Joker is the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The controversial origin story has dethroned Deadpool and its six-year reign. Deadpool’s star Ryan Reynolds took the news rather well, posting a comedic tweet as per usual.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Joker’s standing as the most profitable R-rated film ever. The source states that the gritty drama has now raked in a combined international box office of US $788.1 million. Despite all the controversy, the supervillain flick is in fact Warner Bros’ most profitable film of the year, outdoing films like Shazam! with a gross of US $364 million, Detective Pikachu with US $431 million and even IT: Chapter 2 at US $445 million.
R-Rated box office congratulatory posts aren’t like the ones you’re used to… pic.twitter.com/OTy2BqIP4f
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 25, 2019
2016’s Deadpool had long since been the top performer, with a worldwide figure of US $783 million. Reynold’s addressed the news rather sarcastically with a tweet.
His response shows an adapted version of the iconic Joker poster, swapping the words out for “You mother f*cker”, along with a list of thanks from characters across a host of other well-performing R-rated films. These include Neo from The Matrix Reloaded (US $738.6 million), Pennywise from It (US $697 million), and Hugh Jackman from Logan (US $619 million).
Reynolds justified his tweet by saying “R-Rated box office congratulatory posts aren’t like the ones you’re used to…”
Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian with a variety of mental health issues. In the film, we gradually see Fleck descend into madness and resort to crime as a way to fightback against the society that has oppressed him for so long. The film is highly violent and comes at a time in the world where the gun crime the film portrays is all too real in our own society.
