Todd Phillips' Joker continues to laugh hard at the box office, where it's headed for a huge second weekend of $60 million, well ahead of expectations.

The Warner Bros. origin pic, starring Joaquin Phoenix, grossed $17 million on Friday for a domestic total of $154.7 million. It could drop only 37 percent in its sophomore outing, an impressive stat.

Joker is easily staying atop the chart, although MGM and United Releasing's The Addams Family is on course for a strong second-place finish with $32 million, also ahead of expectations. It earned $9.7 million on Friday.

The Addams Family, co-financed by Bron, features a star-studded voice cast led by Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron, along with Chloe Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll and Bette Midler.

The big disappointment of the weekend is Ang Lee's big-budget Gemini Man, which stars Will Smith as an elite assassination who faces off with a younger version of himself. Lee used groundbreaking technology to make the action-thriller, which cost roughly $140 million to make after rebates.

The VFX-heavy Gemini Man grossed $7.5 million on Friday for a projected opening of $19 million to $20 million (it had hoped for at least $30 million). The big question now is whether it can be rescued by the foreign box office. Reviewers have skewered the pic.

Both Gemini Man, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and The Addams Family earned a B+ CinemaScore.

Jexi, the final theatrical release from CBS Films, is also opening nationwide this weekend via Lionsgate. The comedy starring Adam Devine is pacing for a $3 million debut.

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's acclaimed Parasite is igniting the specialty box office, where it's on course to post a location average of $119,000 — the best since La La Land three years ago. The Neon release boasts a rare 99 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com