Send in the Clowns: Joaquin Phoenix ‘Joker’ trailer reactions

DC Films had a strong run in 2019. After a period of internal reshuffling, the studio landed a critical hit with Shazam in April. The Margot Robbie-led Birds of Prey was moving forward with a new director, and Robert Pattinson’s take on Batman was already generating buzz. Yet the most unexpected release on the slate remained Joker, a standalone origin story centered on the Clown Prince of Crime. Joaquin Phoenix stepped into the role of Arthur Fleck, a struggling stand-up comic whose descent into violence forms the core of the narrative. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Marc Maron, and Frances Conroy rounded out the cast. Todd Phillips directed, with Martin Scorsese serving as executive producer. The final trailer that arrived on August 28 delivered a sharper sense of tone and performance than the earlier Comic-Con teaser.

A Joker origin story

Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill comedian in Gotham who suffers repeated humiliations before snapping. After a public embarrassment at the hands of a late-night host, he begins to view violence as the only available response. The finished film validated the origin-story approach. Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the picture itself grossed more than one billion dollars worldwide.

All the ways the internet has been losing it over the Joker trailer

Early reactions captured a mix of excitement and caution. Jimmy Champane of Fear Frequency noted the R-rated rating and the cinematography. Miles Surrey of The Ringer observed that Phillips appeared to be channeling Scorsese successfully. Chaim Gartenberg at The Verge highlighted the darker, more grounded take compared with earlier Joker interpretations. On social media, users singled out De Niro’s casting, predicted an Oscar for Phoenix, and compared the new laugh to Mark Hamill’s animated version. The gritty, Scorsese-inspired direction that fans hoped for materialized on screen, and Phoenix did collect the Oscar many viewers had forecast.

When can I see this dark wonder?

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2019, where it won the Golden Lion. It reached wide release on October 4, 2019, and opened to strong box-office numbers that exceeded studio expectations.

Box Office Triumph and Records

Joker ultimately earned 1.079 billion dollars worldwide, becoming the first R-rated title to cross the billion-dollar mark. It set October opening-weekend records and finished the year as the sixth-highest-grossing film overall. Produced on a modest budget of 55 to 60 million dollars, the picture delivered exceptional profitability for Warner Bros. and DC Films.

Awards Season Success

Venice audiences awarded the film the Golden Lion on its festival debut. At the Academy Awards, Joker received eleven nominations, including Best Picture. Phoenix won Best Actor, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir took home the Oscar for Best Original Score. Industry observers described the performance as a career highlight for the actor.

Critical and Audience Reception

Aggregated scores landed at 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics praised the origin-story focus and Phoenix’s work. Metacritic recorded a 59 out of 100, reflecting a more divided critical response. Audience exit polls delivered a CinemaScore of B-plus and solid PostTrak numbers, indicating that general viewers responded more warmly than some reviewers.

Legacy and Sequel

Joker held the record for highest-grossing R-rated film until Deadpool & Wolverine surpassed it in 2024. A sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, arrived in 2024 and received mixed-to-negative reviews while grossing 208 million dollars. The original film continues to prompt discussion about its portrayal of mental health struggles and the depiction of violence in popular entertainment.