Joker director has the perfect response to Deadpool and Wolverine beating DC film's record: "We knew it was gonna be big, but this is too much"

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool and Wolverine
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

After Deadpool and Wolverine took Joker's box office crown, the DC movie's director has responded in the best way possible. 

Last week, Deadpool and Wolverine surpassed Joker's worldwide box office gross, officially making the Marvel Phase 5 movie the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. 

"Have to tip my hat to [Ryan Reynolds] and [Shawn Levy] for this absolute steam roller of a movie. We knew it was gonna be big, but this is too much. Congrats to everyone involved!!" Phillips posted to Instagram, along with a fitting picture of Deadpool doing his 'Bye Bye Bye' dance on top of the infamous stairs from Joker. 

Joker grossed $1.079 billion, with Deadpool and Wolverine's box office total currently sitting at $1.143 billion. 

"Now imagine if Hugh had done full frontal. With the cowl on of course," star Ryan Reynolds wrote on Twitter when the news broke. 

Of course, Joker 2, officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, is releasing this year. It will also be rated R, so there's every chance Joker could reclaim his box office glory thanks to the sequel. The movie stars Lady Gaga as Lee, a version of Harley Quinn, with Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, and Zazie Beetz co-starring. Joaquin Phoenix is returning as the Joker himself. 

This isn't Deadpool and Wolverine's only milestone, either. It's also joined Letterboxd's One Million Watched Club after only 27 days, making it the second fastest title to reach the list after Barbie (H/T Film Updates). 

Deadpool and Wolverine is in theaters now. For even more on the movie, check out our verdict in the Deadpool and Wolverine review, our pieces on the Deadpool and Wolverine ending explained and the Deadpool and Wolverine post-credits scene, or see what else Marvel has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows

You can also get up to speed on the MCU so far with our guide to watching Marvel movies in order

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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