Joaquin Phoenix surprises fans at Joker screenings on opening weekend. Now that the much-hyped Todd Phillips film has been widely released, fans and skeptics alike have been making their way to cinemas in order to see for themselves if the film meets expectations.

A lot has taken place between the early days when DC announced they would be making a standalone Joker film, and the eventual completion of the project. Before a single screening of Joker had occurred, there were plenty of rumours regarding the quality and power of Phoenix’s portrayal of struggling stand up comedian Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker. Phoenix lost a staggering amount of weight for the role, fans learned that the story told in Joker wouldn’t take anything from the comic books, and at long last Warner Bros. revealed that the film would have an R-rating. Joker struck gold at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, ultimately winning the festival’s highest honour - the Golden Lion. But it wasn’t long afterward that controversy over Joker’s violence and troubling interpretations of its message began.

Throughout everything the film has been through, Phillips and Phoenix have been positive, displaying confident attitudes over what they’ve achieved. With Joker now in theaters, that level of pride doesn’t seem to have changed one bit. In fact, over the weekend, CBR reports that Phoenix surprised Joker audiences in Los Angeles by making special, unannounced guest appearances at several screenings, as evidenced by tweets posted by those in attendance.

Given the amount of tension and controversy surrounding Joker as of late - particularly due to ongoing concerns that the film could inspire mass shootings, perhaps a sudden surprise at the film’s screenings isn’t exactly what audience members want. However, in this particular case, audiences were reportedly overjoyed to see Phoenix, despite one particular screening where the lights came up too early (which the Joker star later apologised for). Phoenix answered questions (explaining to one fan who asked about Joker’s dancing in the film that it came from a combination of work with a choreographer, watching YouTube and in the moment spontaneity), shook hands and met fans. Though Phoenix was glad to see the outpouring of love for the film from audiences, he wasn’t ready to hear either complaints or praise. “I hope you liked [the movie],” he said during one screening, before joking, “Don’t tell me if you didn’t. Even if you did, I don’t want to know. But thanks so much.”

Alongside the controversy and the praise, one issue that has repeatedly been questioned is whether or not Joker - and specifically Phoenix - stand a chance at Oscar glory. While it’s still too early for such conjecture, winning an Oscar requires a certain amount of campaigning on the part of the studio, the filmmakers and its stars. So far, Phillips and Phoenix have shown a genuine love and belief in Joker, and this weekend’s past surprise appearance at screenings by Phoenix are further proof this is a film with a lot of confidence behind it, and one that people aren’t likely to forget any time soon.

Next: Robert De Niro’s Joker Character References A Movie, Not Batman Comics

Source: CBR

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