After a month of controversy and hand wringing, 'Joker' landed in theaters over the weekend, and Warner Brothers is laughing all the way to the bank. The Batman spinoff is now the highest-grossing October release of all time after beating expectations with a record $96 million debut.
'Joker' explores the origins of one of the most iconic supervillains in pop-culture history. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill aspiring stand-up comedian whose isolation from society slowly turns him into The Caped Crusader's future archnemesis. After premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in September, 'Joker' instantly ignited a firestorm of controversy amid fears that its depiction of an anti-hero protagonist might strike the wrong chord in today's era of gun violence and mass shootings.
Those concerns led both the LAPD and NYPD to increase the police presence outside of movie theaters over opening weekend. It also inspired families of the victims of the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater to pen an open letter to Warner Brothers, encouraging the studio to donate money to charities supporting gun control. Twelve people were killed in 2012 when a shooter opened fire during a screening of another Batman film, 'The Dark Knight Rises.' 'Joker's subject matter led the mother of one victim to call the movie a "slap in the face."
But the thriller's opening weekend went largely without incident. One audience member was escorted out of a New York City showing after audiences complained after he cheered the villain's on-screen murders. In Huntington Beach, California, another cinema canceled two screenings on Thursday night after fielding what it called "credible threats." Some theaters posted notices reminding audiences that 'Joker' is not a typical superhero movie and not appropriate for younger audiences.
But the controversial lead up to the premiere seems to have only helped the movie's bottom line. 'Joker' raked in an additional $151 million overseas, leading to a global debut of nearly $250 million: the fifth-largest debut of 2019 — a watershed year for movies that's seen six movies (and counting) join the billion-dollar club, including the highest-grossing film of all time, 'Avengers: Endgame.'
All six of those 10-figure earners come from the same studio: Disney, which also owns the superhero world's crowned cinematic jewel, Marvel. D.C. has long struggled to match the big-screen success of its chief rival, but after 'Joker's' massive opening weekend, Bob Iger, Kevin Feige, and company might not be laughing for much longer.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
Wealthfront’s CFO Alan Iberman talks the $2.05B IPO and the major moment for robo banking as the company bets on AI, automation, and “self-driving money."
A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
