Joker was wild last night in Thursday night previews last night and now we have a new Thursday preview record for the month of October.
Joker grossed $13.3 million from previews that started at 4:00 PM. This beats the record for an October preview set by Sony’s Venom last year which grossed $10 million from previews that began at 5:00 PM. Joker also beat the Thursday previews of such R-rated films as Deadpool ($12.7 million), It Chapter Two ($10.5 million), its director Todd Phillips’ Hangover 2 ($10.4 million) and Logan ($9.5 million). The overall record is owned by Deadpool 2, which grossed $18.6 million in May 2018.
It looks like the talk of threats and bumped up security measures didn’t affect the fanboy rush last night but it could be something that might factor heavier into Friday and Saturday attendance since the crowd will be bigger at most screenings. As of now, Joker looks like a lock to beat the October opening weekend record set by Venom last year which saw $80.2 million. The only way it falls short is if the fanboy rush was so big on preview night that it ultimately deflates the opening Friday. We’ll definitely have to wait and see how this pans out.
