One of the best DC movies of all time climbs Netflix chart

Joaquin Phoenix as the JokerWarner Bros.

Put on a happy face, because one of the biggest and best DC movies of all time has just hit Netflix – and it’s immediately landed in the top 10 chart.

While Marvel built its (rapidly cracking) cinematic universe on a solid foundation of well-liked box office wins establishing a general sense of quality – something direly lacking in the output of its competitor.

DC’s enterprise is one of modern cinema’s most fascinating, scattershot, and toxic franchises, careening from bangers like Man of Steel and Wonder Woman to shockers like 2017’s Justice League and the first Suicide Squad. Hits notwithstanding, it all culminated in a historically bad superhero year that marked the merciful end of the extended universe, barely making a wave with its official farewell in Aquaman 2.

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However, under the now-named Elseworlds banner, there’s definite appeal in the darker side of comic book adaptations – spearheaded by one billion-busting supervillain origin story: Joker.

Joker hits the Netflix top 10 chart

Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime, has landed at number four on Netflix’s top 10 movies. Check out the full chart below:

  1. Elvis
  2. Meg 2: The Trench
  3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
  4. Joker
  5. Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire
  6. Leave the World Behind
  7. Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare
  8. Sniper: Ultimate Kill
  9. Leo
  10. Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team

Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School), the movie tracks the downfall and rise of Arthur Fleck, a mentally unstable loner with dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. As Alan Moore’s supervillain famously said, “All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy” – and a fateful shooting begins an inevitable spiral that will change Gotham forever.

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The film debuted with extraordinary reviews out of Venice in 2019, but its wider reception was far more divisive. It only fuelled curiosity among normal moviegoers, and it became an unprecedented success – with $1.079 billion, it’s the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

So, it’s unsurprising to see it become one of Netflix’s most popular titles right now. “I am so happy JOKER is on Netflix, I’ve been wanting to watch this movie for so long,” one user tweeted.

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“Adding Joker to Netflix was the best thing they’ve done yet,” another wrote. “Joker is a great film. Just released on Netflix. An instant cult classic,” a third wrote.

Its sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, will hit cinemas in 2024. Find out more about it here.