Joaquin Phoenix standing in an elevator as Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019) next to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman tied together as Deadpool and Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

The director of Joker, Todd Phillips, has provided his thoughts on Deadpool & Wolverine surpassing the DC movie to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Deadpool & Wolverine‘s box office numbers have been seriously impressive since the film was released, breaking several records. This will likely inspire hope that the upcoming list of Marvel movies will continue the trend, ending the period of uncertainty the MCU has gone through. Naturally, the success of Marvel draws comparisons to DC’s long list of movie projects, notably 2019’s Joker, as Deadpool & Wolverine unseated the film at the box office.

After the success of Deadpool & Wolverine, Joker director Todd Phillips took to his Instagram page to comment on the situation. Phillips posted an edited image of Deadpool performing the NSYNC dance from Deadpool & Wolverine‘s opening at the top of the so-called Joker stairs, with a caption congratulating Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy. Phillips jokingly states that he knew the film was going to be big, but that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s haul thus far is simply too much.

Why Deadpool & Wolverine’s Record-Breaking Box Office Is So Promising

Deadpool & Wolverine Opens Up A New Avenue For Superhero Movies

The poster for Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) atop a blurred image of the Infinity Saga, surrounded by falling dollar bills

The success of Deadpool & Wolverine, and Joker before it, is a promising sign for the future of superhero cinema. Not only does the former give Marvel Studios its first $1 billion hit since Avengers: Endgame – discounting the Sony-produced Spider-Man films – but it did so with an R-rating. Marvel Studios has never released an R-rated movie before, with the studio’s first breaking records as the best-performing in history. Joker proved this could be done in 2019 with superhero movies, with Deadpool & Wolverine only reiterating it.

Now, more R-rated superhero movies could become common in the future. Marvel president Kevin Feige has already confirmed the upcoming Blade reboot will be R-rated, and 2024 features two other films of this ilk in the genre. The battle between Phillips and Deadpool & Wolverine continues in October with the release of Joker: Folie à Deux, which will look to unseat the former as the highest-grossing rated-R movie only months after it took the crown. Then, there is Kraven the Hunter, another R-rated superhero movie. Beyond these, Deadpool & Wolverine could have paved the way for more to be placed into production.