The Joker movie debuted this weekend around the world, and some viewers are not happy.
Moviegoers around the world have bashed the film, saying it was ‘too terrifying’ considering ‘what is going on in the world’ right now. Some cinemas have also been urged to ban the movie entirely, while one cinema in Los Angeles was shut down after police received a threat.
Despite the commotion, the R-rated supervillain film has smashed October box office records taking almost US$40 million in the US on Friday alone. It’s on pace to do more than US$150 million globally this weekend.
But not everyone is happy with the dark and ultra-violent take on Batman’s arch-nemesis.
One fan wrote on Twitter, ‘Literally just walked out of a screening of Joker. Way too terrifying to be there with all this going on the way the movie glamorizes gun violence and mental health issues.’
Another wrote: ‘Just walked out of #Joker. Haven’t been that anxious in a movie theater since GOOD TIME. F**k man…’
‘I’ve never walked out of a movie but with Joker I came very close… Would have walked out of the joker after an hour if the missus would have let me! #dontdoitfolks’
‘If I didn’t see Joker with a friend I probably would’ve walked out of the theater thinking someone should tell Trump to shut up… White dude next to me walked out of Joker in the last few minutes of the movie had me a little shook not gonna lie…’
‘I walked out of this movie #Joker BAN THIS MOVIE!! It’s a psychological approach on the mind! I was rooting for him until s**t got real… Oh man…’
Some viewers have said the film should be banned, saying that it promotes and glorifies violence and could inspire a mass shooting.
This opening weekend there have been no reports of violence at screenings, although police across the US and the UK have been on alert.
