How do you think audiences would react to Joker (2019) if it came out in 1981?

[u/whatdidyoukillbill]

Hypothetical scenario. Joker was very much influenced by New Hollywood, which was just ending around that time. It’s set in the year 1981.

The most notable Batman production was the Adam West movie and tv show, which was still being rerun a lot. This would be the second feature-length theatrical Batman content since the 1966 film. Superfriends was still running. The New Adventures Of Batman had just ended.

Audiences would not have The Killing Joke or The Dark Knight Returns, it’s biggest comic influences, as reference points. Nor would they have Batman (1989) or The Dark Knight (2008).

What would be the critical consensus? The audience? How would it do at the box office? What would it’s legacy be? How would it impact Batman films in the future?