At the 2020 Golden Globes Awards, Todd Phillips’ Joker broke comic book movie records. Ever since the release of Joker back in October, the film has been the talk of the town for one reason or another, whether it’s Joaquin Phoenix’s incredible portrayal of Batman’s arch-nemesis, the film becoming the most profitable comic book movie of all time with an over $1 billion worldwide gross, or even the struggle Phillips faced getting Warner Bros. to make the film. In more ways than one, Joker has been one of the most debated and talked about films in years.

Written by director Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker tells the story of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), who suffers from an illness where he cannot control his laughter. Slowly, due to Arthur’s mental state and the uncaring nature of people in Gotham, Arthur morphs into the DC supervillain we all know as The Joker. The storytelling is almost an homage to Martin Scorsese’s legendary films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. It’s gritty, raw, and it has a deeper meaning than most comic book tales. Despite critics having different opinions on Joker due to some believing it promotes violence, few could deny the artistic brilliance of the film, and Phoenix’s remarkable portrayal that has led many to believe he is a shoo-in for an Oscar. Although there’s still time for the Oscars, Joker continued its habit of becoming the talk of the town by setting a new record at the Golden Globes.

At the Golden Globes this past Sunday, Joker was nominated for a total of four awards, Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director – Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, and Best Original Score – Motion Picture. The film walked out with two of the four, as it won Best Original Score, and Phoenix won the Best Performance award, following in the footsteps of Heath Ledger, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight. The two awards mean it has set a record for comic book movies at the Golden Globes by winning two awards in a single night, more than any other comic book movie.

Despite the film missing out on a Best Motion Picture award, which many DC fans will argue it deserved, Joker continues to break new records. Last year, Marvel’s Black Panther set a record by becoming the first superhero film to ever be nominated for a Best Picture - Drama award at the Golden Globes, and despite the film being also nominated for two other awards, it failed to collect a single award. This means DC and Warner Bros. have now one-upped Marvel with Joker’s new accomplishment.

The fact a comic book movie has never won more than one award at the Golden Globes before is a little head-scratching, considering the quality of many of them in the last decade or more. However, it is unsurprising that one of the awards Joker has won is the best actor, as Phoenix seemed destined to win this honor. Whether Joker and Phoenix continue this level of success at the Oscars remains to be seen.

Next: Golden Globes 2020: The Biggest Movie & TV Snubs

  • Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Shazam! The Fury of the Gods Release Date: 2023-03-17 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 The Flash Movie Release Date: 2023-06-23 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25