Just two-and-a-half weeks into its run, Joker has already managed to pass several other DC films, including Batman Begins, Superman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman Returns. All of those films are, however, on average over 20 years old. Which begs the question: can Joker outperform the films that have recently become part of the DC Extended Universe?
The answer? Definitely. In fact, despite being hundreds of millions of dollars behind several of the DC films, Joker will outperform quite a few of them.
For your evidence, look no further than Justice League. Over the course of that film’s 17-week U.S. run, what was supposed to be the culmination of the DCEU’s cinematic universe only pulled in $229.5 million domestically. And worldwide, Justice League only managed $657.9 million—once again, dwarfed by Joker in about 15% of the time.