Joker, Maleficent Are Neck and Neck

No new releases challenge for top weekend spots

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Oct 27, 2019 11:33 AM CDT

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Joker and Maleficent Stay on Top — This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from "Joker." (Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Joker narrowly bested Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to regain the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office in its fourth week of release. The R-rated comic-book hit earned an estimated $18.9 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That came in just above the $18.6 million haul for the Maleficent sequel, the AP reports. With such a close race to the top, the order could switch when final figures are released Monday.

Todd Phillips' Joker recently became the most successful R-rated moved ever, not accounting for inflation, in worldwide release. It's made $849 million globally. No new releases competed with the holdovers. The best-performing newcomer was the horror thriller Countdown. It grossed $9 million.

(Read more box office stories.)