Few films this year have dominated the pop culture conversation quite like Todd Phillips’ Joker, with the movie continuing to inspire fresh debates and think pieces while doing some serious numbers at the global box office.
What’s more, in a newly reported sign of the film’s immediate cultural impact, it seems that fans are flocking to the steps that served as the location of Joaquin Phoenix’s famed Joker dance. According to CNN, the so-called “Joker Stairs” connecting Shakespeare and Anderson avenues at West 167th Street in the Bronx have seen a significant uptick in visitors, and a quick search on Instagram will show you that the location has become a popular spot for social media photos.
Just take these recently shared pics from photographer Ray H. Mercado, which show Arthur Fleck’s gleeful descent down the steps reenacted in full makeup and costume.
Incidentally, the steps sequence has also been the source of some controversy for its use of the song “Rock and Roll Part 2” by Gary Glitter, the infamous UK glam rocker convicted of multiple sex crimes against children. Though a representative at Snapper Music recently clarified that Glitter does not profit from the song’s inclusion on the soundtrack, there remains a push for the track to be removed from future releases.
But despite coming under fire for this and a variety of other reasons, Joker is turning out to be one of the most profitable major comic book movies of recent years, having so far grossed $737.5 million on an estimated $55 million budget. Not too shabby, but we’ll find out if the DC brand can sustain this success when Birds of Prey hits theaters on February 7th, 2020.