Warner Bros. Four days into its global release, Joker has climbed the IMDb rankings and is now in the top 10 films of all time.
The Dark Knight, the universally-adored Batman epic from 2008, was formerly the only comicbook movie to pervade the god-tier of IMDb’s top 250 films.
However, the times they are a-changin’ – Todd Phillips’ latest film about the Clown Prince of Crime is climbing the rankings. Amid the 10, Joker is ranked ninth.
Check out the trailer for Joker below:
On IMDb, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is sitting comfortably at fourth with a 9.0 out of 10 rating – with a staggering 2,107,409 votes.
Joker, which sees Joaquin Phoenix take on the role of the infamous villain, also has an 8.8 rating – built from 167,464 votes on the renowned movie website.
Here’s the thing: the chances of Joker retaining its place next to the likes of Pulp Fiction, The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption are incredibly slim.
Warner Bros.It’s happened in the past with the Marvel Cinematic Universe – both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame entered IMDb’s top 10 in the immediate post-release window, but soon fell away as the months marched on.
Joker’s ranking will be majorly front-loaded at the moment, with fans flooding the site to celebrate the film and push it as much as humanly possible. As the fallout of the film settles, more nuanced observations of the movie will enter the fray.
Of course, there’s always the chance (no matter how small) it could excel in the rankings – hey, in 10 years, it may be considered an absolute classic. Only time will tell.
Check out the first trailer for Joker below:
The film – an R-rated origin story of the caped crusader’s foe – is clearly capturing people’s imaginations, as witnessed by the endless stream of controversy.
As critics and writers battle over the ethics of the film (whether it be its violence or the use of Gary Glitter’s music), general audiences are flocking to cinemas, saying it’s become a ‘cultural event’.
The numbers speak for themselves: Joker recently beat Venom‘s domestic box office record for an October opening, raking in $96 million as opposed to the latter’s $80.25m.
Cameron FrewAs per Box Office Mojo, the film has amassed $248m worldwide – while any box office numbers seem tame following Endgame‘s titanic success, these are some seriously impressive stats.
It’s currently sitting at 68% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s critics’ consensus calling it ‘a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star’.
UNILAD’s verdict is glowing – we called it a terrifying, harrowing, volatile triumph, and the film of the year.
Joker is in cinemas now.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.