'Joker' set to make half a billion dollars in profit, almost as much as 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Joker is on the way to making nearly half a billion dollars in profit for Warner Bros, around the same figure coined in by Avengers: Infinity War.

So far, the R-rated thriller, in which Joaquin Phoenix plays the man who becomes Batman's nemesis, has made $745 million (£578 million) worldwide.

That puts its current profits in the region of $464 million (£360 million), according to Deadline, and counting.

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Thanks to a notable lack of complex visual effects, Todd Phillips' movie cost around $70 million to make, a fraction of Avengers: Infinity War's reported $400 million.

And while the penultimate Avengers movie made just over $2 billion at the worldwide box office, its profits were around half a billion dollars.

For added context, Black Panther returned $476 million in profit, while Aquaman made $260 million.

Read more: Viewers horrified at Gary Glitter song on Joker soundtrack

Yesterday, Forbes reported that the movie will likely top $900 million by the end of its run, making it the biggest R-rated movie in history, beating Deadpool 2's $785 million.

Analysts reckon that it will end somewhere in the region of $915 million, likely not quite breaching the $1 billion milestone.

Nonetheless, it's been a stunning performance, likely bolstered by dominating headlines in the weeks prior to its release.

The film was criticised for its lionising of the 'angry loner' trope, at a time when mass shootings are increasing in frequency in the US, as well as instances 'incel' extremism.

It also hit headlines for using a song by convicted paedophile Gary Glitter in a key scene.