Joker, the gritty spin on the classic Batman villain, set a new record at the October box office.
Despite criticism over the Warner Bros. release’s violent themes, the film earned an estimated $93.5 million in North American theaters, according to Comscore.
With its massive take, the Todd Phillips-directed thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix surpassed industry expectations, and beat the previous October record held by Spider-Man spinoff Venom, which opened last year to $80.2 million.
Amid the Joker controversy, some theater chains banned costumes and police departments stepped up patrols around movie houses. Still, the security concerns didn’t stop fans from snapping up tickets.
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Elsewhere at the box office, last weekend’s leader Abominable slipped to second place with $12 million, and Downton Abbey took third with $8 million.
The Jennifer Lopez-led stripper drama Hustlers came in fourth place with $6.3 million. Rounding out the top five was It: Chapter Two, which scared up another $5.4 million.
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