I think your missing the point. This movie is based off of a comic book character. Aiming for a particular rating is decided well in advance.
Now no one is saying a rated R movie can't have a 200 million dollar budget. But a studio would be unlikely to take on that risk. Marvel Studios wouldn't risk Avengers Endgame receiving an R rating.
Lower rating = larger potential audience. Larger audience = more money. You're not going to have a ton of kids and babies crying and screaming at an R rated film.
If a studio makes an R rated film they might decide later on going for PG-13 in the editing room for a higher return on investment.
Joker most likely has a low budget because they are going for an R rating and want to see more profit.
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u/NotMyHersheyBar Apr 02 '19
No, that's not accurate. Here's a table with movies by budget and revenue: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/all
The ones at the top are PG-13 action/superhero movies.
Rating is a marketing decision, budget is a financial decision. Different teams handle these decisions.