'Joker' will cross $1 billion at the box office today, becoming the first R-rated movie in history to do so

• "Joker" is set to become the first R-rated movie to make $1 billion at the global box office on Friday.
• The ultra-violent movie wasn't even released in China.
• It joins three other DC superhero movies to make $1 billion: "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "Aquaman."
• A sequel isn't in the works, but director Todd Phillips recently hinted at what he'd like to see in one, telling The Los Angeles Times that it "would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way."
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"Joker" is projected to pass $1 billion at the global box office on Friday, becoming the first R-rated movie to ever do so.

The Todd Phillips-directed drama was at $999.1 million as of Thursday, according to Deadline, meaning it will surely hit the coveted $1 billion mark by Friday night. "Joker" joins three other Warner Bros.-released DC superhero movies to reach that milestone:

• "Aquaman" (2018) - $1.148 billion
• "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) - $1.081 billion
• "The Dark Knight" (2008) - $1.005 billion

"Joker," like "The Dark Knight," will do so without a China release during its initial theatrical run. It's assumed that the movie was too violent to warrant a rollout in China, where Hollywood has relied on an international box-office boost for potential blockbusters.

"Joker" cost just $55 million to produce, meaning it's far more profitable than the average superhero movie that costs hundreds of millions of dollars to make.

While Phillips has said that the movie was not made with a sequel in mind and one isn't in the works, the director recently hinted at what he would want in one.

"It couldn't just be this wild and crazy movie about the 'Clown Prince of Crime,'" Phillips told The Los Angeles Times this week. "It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that ['Joker'] does. Because I think that's ultimately why the movie connected, it's what's going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting."

• Read more of Business Insider's coverage of "Joker":
• 'Joker' director hints at what he'd want in a sequel as the movie nears $1 billion at the box office
• Martin Scorsese says he considered making 'Joker' for years before passing for 'personal reasons'
• 'Joker' cinematographer on what star Joaquin Phoenix was really like on set and the controversy surrounding the movie
• The viral 'Joker' outtake with an angry Joaquin Phoenix originated as a prank on the movie's director
• 'Joker' director says he stopped making comedies like 'The Hangover' because of 'this woke culture'