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.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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