The joke’s on those who thought they could sabotage a worthy movie at the box office through carefully crafted whisper campaigns about incel violence in unsuspecting theaters because “Joker” is now the top-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
“The Warner Bros. film has become the top-grossing R-rated film of all time, not adjusted for inflation, with a global box office haul of $788.1 million. It is expected to cross $800 million Friday or Saturday,” reports The Hollywood Reporter (THR). “To date, Joker has earned $258.6 in North America and $529.5 million internationally,” continued THR. “It is expected to ultimately take in close to $900 million globally, with some thinking it has a shot at approaching $1 billion.”
The box office grosses surpass that of “Deadpool,” which surprised audiences and critics alike when it smashed records by earning $783 million worldwide, passing “The Matrix Reloaded.” “Deadpool 2” and “Deadpool” still hold the number 2 and number 3 spots, respectively, followed by “The Matrix Reloaded,” “It,” “Logan,” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
As reported by Emily Zanotti of The Daily Wire, social justice warriors began taking swipes at the film weeks prior to its release for allegedly glorifying “incel violence” and giving such people a platform for empathy:
According to leftists on social media, “Joker,” which has yet to see a global release — meaning most average theatergoers are still waiting to see Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the iconic Arkham Asylum resident — the film glorifies “incel violence” and “paints mass murder as the logical conclusion” of a “neurodivergent white man being failed by the system.”
In other words – words regularly used by people who haven’t wasted money on a gender studies degree – “Joker” allows “incels,” or the movement of mostly young white men who consider themselves “involuntarily celibate,” to relate to a mainstream character, and explains – and even, they say, justifies – a descent into violence.
The controversy over the film became so intense that the film’s director, Todd Phillips, became rather aggressive in his defense, even going so far as to blame the criticism on far-left fanatics.
“I’m surprised,” Phillips told The Wrap. “Isn’t it good to have these discussions? Isn’t it good to have these discussions about these movies, about violence? Why is that a bad thing if the movie does lead to a discourse about it?”
“I think it’s because outrage is a commodity. I think it’s something that has been a commodity for a while,” he added. “What’s outstanding to me in this discourse in this movie is how easily the far-left can sound like the far-right when it suits their agenda. It’s really been eye-opening for me.”
Actor Joaquin Phoenix even walked out of an interview at one point when a reporter questioned him if the film would inspire violence.
When the movie finally came out, critics then shifted the focus away from the film’s violence and more toward some of its alleged underlying messages about white male victimhood. Jeff Yang of CNN, for instance, said the film affirms the straight white male rage that led to President Trump’s success.
“While many reviewers have focused on [Arthur] Fleck as an ‘incel’ hero – his status as a sexless loner who turns to violence – the true nature of the movie’s appeal is actually broader: It’s an insidious validation of the white-male resentment that helped bring President Donald Trump to power,” wrote Yang after the film’s release. “‘Joker,’ at its core, is the story of the ‘forgotten man,’ the metaphoric displaced and disenfranchised white man whose goodwill has been abused and whose status has been reduced. A man who has been crushed underfoot by the elite, dragged down by equality-demanding feminists and climbed over by upstart nonwhite and immigrant masses.”