10 More Huge Box Office Hits NOBODY Saw Coming

Now, it would be silly to suggest that a movie putting one of the most well-known villains in pop culture history front and centre wasn't going to earn a decent amount of dollar at the box office. But while it was a pretty safe bet that this dark and unsettling Joaquin Phoenix-starring character study would at the very least make back its budget, and possibly even turn a little profit at the box office, not even the most passionate Joker fan could have predicted the gigantic success story Todd Phillips' 2019 psychological thriller would eventually become.

Evidently inspired by the legendary Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy and Taxi Driver, failed clown/comedian Arthur Fleck's compelling descent into madness in a truly bleak Gotham City caught the attention of just about every soul on the planet, bringing in strong reviews and a whole lot of dollar. And in the end, this bold DC standalone, with a $55-70 million budget, didn't just make its money back, it went on to become the first-ever R-rated movie to cross $1 billion at the box office and the most profitable comic book movie of all time.

An undeniably captivating Phoenix even took home the Academy Award for Best Actor, too.

Naturally, all that unforeseen financial and critical success set the stage for an inevitable sequel, with Joker: Folie à Deux set to arrive in theatres later this year - a much more anticipated follow-up dancing into cinemas with a reported $200 million budget this time around.