Associated Press
"Joker"
- "Joker" director Todd Phillips told The Los Angeles Times that while a sequel to the hit movie is not in the works, he's not ruling it out.
- A sequel would "have some thematic resonance in a similar way" that "Joker" does, though, he said.
- Phillips has previously said that "Joker" was "always pitched it as one movie, and that's it."
- "Joker" has earned $988 million at the global box office so far and could become the first R-rated movie to reach $1 billion.
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"Joker" is on its way to becoming the first R-rated movie to reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office, so a sequel is naturally on Hollywood's mind.
A follow-up isn't officially in the works, but the movie's director, Todd Phillips, isn't ruling it out. He just has some stipulations in mind, telling The Los Angeles Times that a sequel would "have to have some thematic resonance."
"It couldn't just be this wild and crazy movie about the 'Clown Prince of Crime,'" he told the Times. "It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that ['Joker'] does. Because I think that's ultimately why the movie connected, it's what's going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting."
Phillips has previously said that "Joker" was always meant to be a standalone story. He told GameSpot last month that he would do anything that star Joaquin Phoenix wants to do, but "the movie's not set up to [have] a sequel. We always pitched it as one movie, and that's it."
"Joker" has earned $988 million globally since hitting theaters in early October and had a production budget of just $55 million.
It's been a major boost for the studio Warner Bros., which has otherwise experienced a disappointing year at the box office. Sequels like "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" and "It: Chapter Two" have significantly underperformed compared to their predecessors and it's released some of the biggest flops of the year with "The Kitchen" and "The Goldfinch."
And over the weekend, its sequel to "The Shining," "Doctor Sleep," bombed at the box office with only $14 million domestically.
- Read more of Business Insider's coverage of "Joker":
- Martin Scorsese says he considered making 'Joker' for years before passing for 'personal reasons'
- 'Joker' cinematographer on what star Joaquin Phoenix was really like on set and the controversy surrounding the movie
- The viral 'Joker' outtake with an angry Joaquin Phoenix originated as a prank on the movie's director
- 'Joker' director says he stopped making comedies like 'The Hangover' because of 'this woke culture'