'Joker' could make as much money in profit as 'Avengers: Infinity War'

• "Joker" is on pace to earn a profit of at least $464 million, according to Deadline.
• It could even get up to half a billion dollars, which is the estimated profit "Avengers: Infinity War" took in.
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"Joker" is on its way to making the kind of money that only Disney movies usually take in.

Warner Bros.' box-office sensation has brought in over $745 million at the worldwide box office and is on pace to earn a profit that could be as big as "Avengers: Infinity War" had.

The dark origin story of the legendary DC Comics villain is looking to make at least $464 million in profit, after you factor in TV deals plus streaming and DVD/Blu-ray sales added to its global box office, according to Deadline. And if "Joker" gets up to $900 million globally at the box office, Warner Bros. is looking at a half billion in profit, which is what Disney/Marvel Studios got from "Infinity War," according to the trade.

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Whatever "Joker" ends up making in profit, it will certainly be an astounding number for a movie that was made for around $60 million (the budget for "Infinity War" was over $300 million).

After "Joker" had the biggest opening weekend ever in October with a $96.2 million take, the movie has been a global hit.

• It's currently the seventh-highest-grossing movie of 2019 at the domestic box office with $256.2 million (sitting between "It Chapter Two" with $209.8 million and "Aladdin" with $355 million).
• The movie's global box office makes it Todd Phillips' biggest earner of his career.
• And on the all-time list of R-rated movies at the domestic box office, "Joker" is only behind Phillips' own "The Hangover" ($277.3 million) to break into the top 10 (it's currently sitting at 11).

It's hard to imagine a scenario where Warner Bros. does not convince Phillips and the movie's star Joaquin Phoenix to return for a sequel. Simply put: the movie has become a cultural phenomenon.

Just look at what's happening in the Bronx. The set of stairs in the New York City borough used to shoot the scene where Arthur Fleck dresses as a clown and dances wildly has become a tourist destination. People who haven't even seen the movie and only know the location from their Instagram feeds have flocked there to take pictures of themselves on the steps.