‘Joker’ Sets New October Opening Day Record at Box Office

Jeremy Fuster

Warner Bros. has a reason to smile this weekend, as Village Roadshow/DC’s “Joker” is primed to blow by multiple October box office records. It already has one in the bag after grossing $39 million from 4,300 screens on Friday — including $13.3 million from Thursday previews — giving it the biggest opening day ever in October history.

After that big start, “Joker” is now estimated to reach the top end of independent tracker projections with a $92-93 million opening. That beats the October opening weekend record set last year by “Venom” ($80.2 million), and also beats the openings of fellow R-Rated comic book movie “Logan” ($88.4 million) and Warner Bros.’ last big release, “It: Chapter Two” ($91 million).

As expected, millennial males were the top demographic on Friday for “Joker,” as CinemaScore polls were 64% male, 68% over the age of 25, and 66% under the age of 35. While the movie’s relentless violence and bleak tone were sure to turn off some moviegoers, reception has remained generally positive with a 70% Rotten Tomatoes score, a B+ from CinemaScore audience polls and a 4/5 from Postrak.

Also Read: 'Joker' Film Review: Joaquin Phoenix Channels Classic Robert De Niro in Grungy '70s Homage

Meanwhile, several of last month’s releases are holding on well as alternatives to “Joker” for other demographics. Last weekend’s No. 1 film, Universal’s “Abominable,” is estimated to gross $12 million in its second weekend for a 10-day total of $37.8 million. That’s a solid result for this $70 million DreamWorks film, as it was co-produced and co-financed by Chinese animation studio Pearl.

Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey” will take the No. 3 spot with $8.1 million in its third weekend, while STX’s “Hustlers” will take fourth with $6.1 million in its fourth weekend. “It: Chapter Two” will complete the top five with an estimated $5.1 million in its fifth weekend, pushing it past $200 million in domestic grosses.

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