"Joker" reveals box office expectations, director angrily responds to doubts

The latest comic book adaptation movie "Joker" is becoming a hot topic, and the film company is also optimistic about its box office expectations.

According to Deadline, Joker's global box office forecast is $155 million. If it reaches this goal, it will become the second highest-grossing October movie in history, second only to 2018's Venom (global box office $207 million).

The production cost of "Joker" is only 55 million US dollars, which is much lower than other comic book adaptations. This is not the result of compromise, but the initial design and production considerations. When director Todd Phillips introduced this project to the film company, he positioned it as a project completely different from the standard comic book adaptation.

According to Phillips' original plan, "Joker" will be the first in a series of separate comic book adaptations. If "Joker" achieves commercial success, it is very likely that Warner Bros. will continue to invest in the production of subsequent works.

"When I talked to Warner, the initial idea was not just a movie, but a brand, a sub-brand under DC, which could conduct many character studies and allow producers to dig deep into a certain character and make low-cost works."

In addition, the director stated that "Joker" is a sub-brand of DC and has nothing to do with the current DC Extended Movie Universe, so this Joker is unlikely to appear in the same frame with Robert Pattinson's Batman.

Interestingly, the Joker movie has also attracted some concerns and controversy, mainly about real-life violence. In response, director Todd Phillips expressed surprise at this at the New York Film Festival on Wednesday. "I think, isn't it a good thing to not reflect and allude to real-life violence? Isn't it a good thing to remove the cartoon elements of violence in film and television works? We have become accustomed to this kind of violence."

He said that he did not agree with the accusations made by others, who said that his filming of "Joker" was "irresponsible" because the film could inspire real crimes. In this regard, he believed that "making the violence in the film feel real and have weight and meaning is a very responsible act."

"I mean, it's a very complex film, and it's fine to be complex. But I don't think the things in the film extend to the real world. I think it's fine for it to spark conversations and discussions. I've always believed that movies should be a statement. It's fine to discuss movies, but it would be more helpful if you watched the movie first."

Because many people have not seen the movie yet, Phillips believes that many people who criticize "Joker" have not seen it at all. "A lot of the discussion about this movie is coming from people who haven't seen it."