Regardless of who ends up taking the top spot here, the larger box office stories from Joker and Maleficent are very different.
Because it was considered to be a riskier story with a more uncertain outcome, the budget for Joker was intentionally kept on the lower side, and there’s a very real chance it could end up with a billion dollars at the global box office.
The former can’t be viewed as anything but a complete and utter success.
So, whether or not it wins this weekend is inconsequential.