In the mythical scene from the American blockbuster Joker, Joaquin Phoenix sways in the middle of a monumental staircase. In reality, these 132 steps, located in the Bronx district of New York, have been stormed by tourists since the film’s release.
One hundred and thirty-two steps, which connect Shakespeare Avenue to Anderson Avenue, in the New York district of the Bronx. Until then, a very ordinary staircase, far from the tourist circuits indicated, in the heart of one of the most dangerous districts of the city, it has become a place of pilgrimage, since the release of the American film Joker.
In the film, the Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, dances on the steps of this staircase. It is also the photo chosen for one of the promotional posters of the film. In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have flocked to the Bronx district. At the bend of a walk or on purpose, dressed and made up in the image of the Joker.
A hashtag on social networks
On social networks, photos and videos are multiplying, especially grouped under the hashtag #jokerstairs, or the “Joker stairs”. Amateur staging as witnesses to the major success of Todd Philipps’ blockbuster.
The Joker has receipts of $ 740 million worldwide, and almost three million admissions in France, recalls Les Inrockuptibles.
A sudden highlight of the Bronx which is not necessarily to the liking of the inhabitants. Elliott Raylassi, a local resident, tries to defend the neighborhood in which he grew up. He told AFP: “In New York, when a neighborhood begins to attract the attention of tourists, it tends to attract real estate developers, who build luxurious buildings that we can no longer afford.”
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