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Joker

Joker

Put on a happy face.

2019122 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
Todd Phillips
Starring
Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Joker?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Joker streaming on Cinemax via Apple TV and HBO Max and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Subscription

via Apple TV

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Joker?

Joker earns 13 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Universally Loved.

Show 5 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is Joker worth watching?

Joker's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 6.7M ratings across 6 sources. 90% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)97th
Approval (how many liked it)98th

81 /100

97th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 2010s

Critics 59 · Audience 82

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

90% liked it

98th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Drama98th percentile among 2010s
90% rated it 7–1010% rated it 1–6

Critics 68% · Audience 89%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 31 wins / 65 noms overall

  • WonGolden Globes· Best Original Score - Motion Picture
  • WonGolden Globes· Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

96th percentile

6.7M ratings across platforms

97th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 43% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$55M
Opening weekend$96M
Domestic gross$335M
Worldwide gross$1.1B

Returned 19.6× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a dark, character-driven study anchored by Phoenix's committed performance, but its story is a simple origin tale that borrows heavily from Scorsese classics.

Fans praised

  • Joaquin Phoenix's transformative, Oscar-worthy performance
  • Complex, ambiguous narrative with unreliable perspective
  • Gritty atmosphere, cinematography, and unsettling tone

Detractors panned

  • Derivative, predictable for fans of Taxi Driver and King of Comedy
  • Muddled social commentary that feels pernicious or hollow
  • Supporting characters underdeveloped, story lacks genuine depth

What stands out

ActingDivisive95

Phoenix's fearless, physically transformative performance

Cinematography85

Gritty, period-accurate visuals with strong production design

Atmosphere85

Dark, grimy world with palpable dread and 1980s authenticity

Sound and music80

Haunting score and sound design enhance the unease

TensionDivisive75

Unnerving suspense, never knowing when Arthur will snap

CharactersDivisive60

Arthur is fully realized but nearly all other characters are thin

Plot and storyDivisive55

Simple origin story, predictable if you know the touchstones

OriginalityDivisive45

Heavily indebted to Scorsese's Taxi Driver and King of Comedy

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 1 point apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s even
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is Joker like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark and unsettling: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something dark that stays with you.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you unsettled. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Dark and unsettling.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseDreadMelancholicThrilling
Heaviest: late
Dark humor
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Brutal · 7% of filmsBleak · 8% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film is played straight and grimly sincere, treating Arthur's suffering as real rather than winking at the comic-book source material, with a brooding, uncomfortable seriousness.
The rideThe film sustains a high-strung, uncomfortable tension that escalates into outright dread, with a melancholic undercurrent before erupting into chaotic violence and catharsis in the final act.
StructureA straightforward chronological account of Arthur Fleck's decline, told conventionally from his frustrated ordinary days to his break. No structural devices reorder the telling.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Unsettled.

The answer rests on this: UnsettlingHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film lingers as a disturbing study of isolation and a man snapping, leaving you disturbed rather than entertained and with doubts about what was even real.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% (this title) · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Corruption arc: Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).

9% of films fit this archetype

with Overcoming the monster underneath

Why this archetypeThe film tracks a downtrodden clown's step-by-step moral collapse into violent escape, making it a corruption-arc tragedy; the 'monster' he loses his battle with is his own breaking mind, which supports the secondary archetype. As the Joker's origin, the whole story is built on how a villain first became who he is, with his final lash-out at those who wronged him carrying a revenge current.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfPurposeSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% (this title) · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% (this title) · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Purpose · 9% of filmsIdentity · 14% of filmsClass · 3% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film follows a man stripped of all social support, searching desperately for meaning and recognition, and ultimately forging a violent new identity from society's rejection.
StanceThe film questions whether purpose and identity can survive systemic neglect, refusing to celebrate Arthur's violence but also not fully condemning it — it holds up a mirror to a society that creates monsters.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanDomesticIn transitStylized realism
Orchestral modernAmbientForeground music · original score · Hildur Guðnadóttir
SettingGotham City, early 1980s — a decaying metropolis with a collapsing social safety net
MusicThe Oscar-winning score uses low cello drones and creeping dissonance to mirror Arthur's internal descent, often becoming the dominant sound in key scenes.

Content guide

Is Joker okay for kids?

R

Joker is rated R: “Rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images” (MPAA). As of October 5, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (90/100), sexual content at mild (32/100), language at intense (67/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (62/100) and frightening material at severe (90/100). Overall it is heavier than 85% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 46 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland16
  • New ZealandR16
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina+16
  • Austria16
  • Belgium16
  • BGD
  • CO15
  • Czechia15
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • GreeceK18
  • Hong KongIIB
  • Hungary16
  • ID17+
  • IndiaA
  • IS16
  • Israel16
  • Italy14+
  • LTN-16
  • MexicoB-15
  • MOC
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesR-16
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/14
  • RO18
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeNC16
  • SK15
  • South Africa16
  • Spain18
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland16
  • Taiwan15+
  • Türkiye18+
  • UA16
  • VNC18
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 91% of all filmsHeavier than 85% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 85%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 27%
Profanity
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 52%
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 80%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 94%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: violence, frightening material, language, and drug and alcohol content. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Joker have?

MovieCove's classifier found 4 depicted content warnings in Joker: Suicide (mild), plus 3 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. 4 more are mentioned only, in dialogue or backstory (behind the spoiler gate). Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

MildSuicide

Mentioned: referenced in dialogue or backstory, not shown in the story’s present.

Cast and crew

Who is in Joker?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for this film.

Joaquin Phoenix
as Arthur Fleck
Oscar win: Academy Award — Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Robert De Niro
as Murray Franklin
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Zazie Beetz
as Sophie Dumond
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Frances Conroy
as Penny Fleck
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Brett Cullen
as Thomas Wayne
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Shea Whigham
as Detective Burke
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Bill Camp
as Detective Garrity
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Glenn Fleshler
as Randall
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Leigh Gill
as Gary
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Josh Pais
as Hoyt Vaughn
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Joker?

Movies like Joker include Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), You Were Never Really Here (2017) and The Chumscrubber (2005). Of the 12 closest matches, most are psychological thrillers, and most are films set in New York.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

9 of these 12 share its story type: corruption arc. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Joker?

425 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: prestige drama. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.