Following its third weekend in release, Joker seems poised to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
At this time, the record is currently held by 20th Century Fox's wildly successful 2016 X-Men spinoff film Deadpool, which earned $783 million at the worldwide box office. Not far behind is 2018's Deadpool 2, which brought in $738 million (with the PG-13 Once Upon a Deadpool re-release bringing the film's total up to $785 million).
However, The Hollywood Reporter estimates Joker will soon surpass the popular Ryan Reynolds-starred superhero comedy. Over this weekend, the Joaquin Phoenix-stared character study pulled in another $29.2 million stateside and $77.9 million overseas, bringing its global total to $737.5 million. As it stands, the film has earned $247.2 million domestically and $490.3 million in foreign markets.
When all is said and done, Joker is estimated to earn close $900 million worldwide, which would break Deadpool's record and then some (not adjusting for inflation.) In fact, some believe the film has a fighting chance at crossing the $1 billion mark.
With its current overseas gross of $490.3 million, Joker is currently the fourth best-performing international release for DC, coming up behind 2018's Aquaman at $811.8 million, 2012's The Dark Knight Rises at $636.3 million and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at $537 million.
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais and Shea Whigham. The film is in theaters now.