Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

On Friday, fueled by relentless media hype, long queues snaked outside North American theaters.

"Three tickets for The Joker."

"Thanks, four for The Joker."

"5 p.m. Joker, two tickets."

By midnight, as Friday turned to Saturday, box office numbers reached eager hands.

"$49.89 million!?"

"Fuck, it's a weekday!"

Quentin Tarantino's eyes widened; Brad Pitt's face darkened.

At Warner's headquarters, the boardroom buzzed. "A weekday gross of $49.89 million!" exclaimed an executive. "My God, Martin, not even God could stop us now!"

Cameron Diaz gaped, her exaggerated expression betraying awe as she stared at Martin. Across from them, Alan Horn beamed, tossing Martin a cigar. "When I heard Friday morning that The Joker scored A or higher from 93% of viewers, I knew its stellar reception would drive massive box office. Two days, $89.61 million, on weekdays! I predict a colossal total."

"Martin, you've done it again," Horn continued. "Nothing stops you—writing, music, acting, now directing, all top-tier."

The Joker was a goldmine for Warner. Horn spared no praise. Martin grinned, "Thanks, but can we go home? It's midnight. Aren't you all tired?"

Horn laughed. "Fine, meeting's over. I forgot you young folks have lively nights. Don't let an old man hold you back." He winked.

Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, flanking Martin, blushed. Martin chuckled, grabbing their hands. "We're off then—just to sleep, really."

"Sure, sweet dreams," Horn teased, envying their youth. In his day, he'd outdone Martin's escapades, but age had dulled his edge.

The next day, Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend, Blake Lively, visited Martin's home—not for romance, but strategy. She'd chosen Leonardo over chasing Martin's clout and now eyed Drew, Hollywood's most powerful woman per recent rankings, for career leverage.

"Morning, Blake. Where's Leo?" Martin greeted, spotting her at breakfast.

"Running. He's slimming down for a role," Blake replied. "I thought he'd quit, but he's stuck to 2km daily. Such willpower."

Martin smirked. "You're wrong, Blake. Long-distance runners don't have willpower—they lack it."

Blake laughed. "What kind of logic is that?"

"Running releases endorphins," Martin explained. "Like morphine or opium, it dulls pain and feels euphoric. Chronic runners pump out tons of it. Skip a day, and their mood tanks—suppressed endorphins make them miserable. Rain or wind, they run, not out of discipline, but because they're hooked. They can't stop. A measly 1-2km won't even trigger enough endorphins. Same with gym rats—no willpower, just addiction."

Drew, Cameron, Bijou, and Heather burst out laughing. Blake, flushed, protested, "That's nonsense!"

"Nonsense? It's airtight logic, perfectly reasonable!" Martin quipped.

Meanwhile, Leonardo, jogging past a theater, missed Martin's jab. A massive crowd lined up for The Joker. Incognito in sunglasses, he went unnoticed. "The Joker's on fire," he mused. "Martin's eyeing $1 billion globally—and hemight get it. Should I try directing? Nah, I can barely act without splitting focus."

After Friday's $49.89 million, Saturday's holiday pushed The Joker to $50.12 million. In three days, it hit $139.7 million in North America, breaking Spider-Man's record for fastest comic-book adaptation to $100 million and The Matrix's R-rated record. Sunday dipped to $37.4 million due to the upcoming workday, but the four-day opening weekend totaled $177 million, shattering multiple comic-book and R-rated records.

Despite growing audiences, The Joker's acclaim held strong. On IMDB, over 290,000 users rated it 9.0, landing it at #10 on the Top 250, pushing Fight Club to #11.

As The Joker soared, a major incident unfolded in Aurora, Colorado, at the Century 16 theater, a prime moviegoing spot in the city's mall. Colorado's crime rate was relatively low, but downtown safety waned at night. Yet, on Monday evening around 10:30 p.m., many lingered at Century 16 for the 10:45 The Joker screening, defying the quiet hour when most Americans avoided city centers, even in safer states like Wyoming (population under 600,000, 78.3% white, 12% Hispanic, 2.9% Native American, 1.1% Asian).