'Joker' after-credits scene turns chillier as Joaquin Phoenix crashes movie screenings

NEW YORK: The after-credits scene of the box-office hit Joker turned chillier when actor Joaquin Phoenix — who plays Gotham's Clown Prince — and director Todd Phillips crashed the movie's screening recently here at Lincoln Square.

While New York and Los Angeles police increased their presence around multiplexes and exhibition owners outlawed costumes and face masks in some venues, the actor portraying the happy-go-lucky, maniacal clown had other plans.

According to Syfy Wire, "fans in attendance at the screening took short videos of [Todd] Phillips and [Joaquin] Phoenix thanking the audience and waving after the screening, to cries of 'Thank you so much!' from moviegoers".

A fan who posted a video of Phoenix and Phillips in the theatre termed the crashing as his "top 5 life experiences so far".

Another predicted that Phoenix "will win the Oscar for this film".

The publication reported that Joker "kept popping up at screenings" and was in Los Angeles Saturday night, "crashing multiple showings of Joker at the Alamo Drafthouse to greet fans as the credits rolled and even stick around for a few selfies".

The highly-anticipated movie made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August, where it earned that festival's highest honour — the Golden Lion.

Warner Bros’ R-rated Joker, which laughed its way to a new record at the US box office, scored $93.5 million over the weekend and emerged as the biggest October launch of all time.

Joker has been the subject of scrutiny in weeks leading up to its release over fears that the disturbing origin story of Batman’s infamous foe could inspire violence. However, those anxieties didn’t deter moviegoers from turning out en masse to see what all the fuss was about.

It has inspired waves of headlines over apprehensions that its depiction of a mentally-ill assassin could incite violence, prompting movie theaters across the country to take extra security precautions.

Co-starring Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy, Joker takes an unconventional approach to the superhero genre.

The film follows Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), an aspiring stand-up comedian who descends into madness as his life and career being to spiral. Village Roadshow and Bron Studios co-produced and co-financed the film, which reportedly cost $55 million before taking global marketing and distribution fees into account.

Critics have lauded Phoenix’s borderline, unsettling take on Batman’s arch nemesis. Audiences gave the film a B+ CinemaScore this weekend. Imax showings accounted for $7.5 million at 392 venues.

As the lone nationwide release, Joker received majority of box office spoils, earning more than the rest of the films in the top 10 combined.

—Additional reporting from Reuters