Todd Phillips‘ Joker has reclaimed its #1 spot at the box office, beating out Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Despite functioning as its own thing, unconnected from other DC Comics-based films Joker has become a massive success for Warner Bros. and a career-best for star actor Joaquin Phoenix. It appears to have resonated with audiences much more than expected, and its box office numbers are projected to increase beyond the $800 million the movie has already earned worldwide.
Disney’s Maleficent sequel settled at second place during its second weekend, with a North American total of $18.5 million, compared to the first Maleficent which made more than $128 million in its second weekend. To date, the dark fantasy/action film from director Joachim Rønning has generated $65 million domestically and $64.3 million overseas, bumping up the global tally to $228 million.
Third place was taken by MGM’s animated Addams Family project, which scared up an additional $11.7 million for a current domestic total of $72.8 million. Internationally, the family-friendly animation made $83.9 million. Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron lead the voice cast as the Addams patriarch and matriarch, Gomez and Morticia.
