Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, bombed at the box office with a domestic opening of $37.8 million, falling well short of projections. The sequel became the first comic book film in history to receive a D CinemaScore from audiences, a stark contrast to the original Joker‘s success in 2019. Despite costing over $190 million to make, Folie à Deux earned less than half of what the first Joker made during its debut. Overseas, the movie earned $81.1 million, but still underperformed compared to its predecessor.
The film was expected to open with at least $50 million domestically, but audience turnout and word of mouth proved to be its downfall. As rival studios adjusted their weekend projections, Warner Bros. reported an opening gross closer to $40 million. In comparison, the original Joker earned a massive $96.2 million in its opening weekend, with a far lower budget of $55 million, making it one of the most successful R-rated films ever.
Insiders at Warner Bros. expressed disappointment with the results, noting that despite the studio’s faith in Phillips’ vision, the film’s genre-blending, musical format might have been too far removed from typical audience expectations for a comic book movie.
Audience and Critical Reactions
Unlike the original Joker, which received relatively good reviews and a B+ CinemaScore, Folie à Deux struggled with both critics and audiences. The sequel garnered a 33% “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, significantly lower than the original’s 68%. Early exit polls, like those from PostTrak, painted an equally grim picture, with audiences giving the movie just half a star out of five. This mirrors the poor reception of Megalopolis, which also bombed in its opening weekend with a low box office take.
Challenges and Future Hopes
While some critics praised the movie’s visual aesthetics and performances by Phoenix and Lady Gaga, many found the narrative thin and the pacing slow, especially for a two-and-a-quarter-hour film. Despite these setbacks, the film’s creators and Warner Bros. hope Folie à Deux will still be a contender in the upcoming awards season, especially for Phoenix and Gaga’s performances.
As part of the DC Elseworlds brand, Folie à Deux operates outside of the main DC Universe, giving filmmakers more creative freedom. However, this also means that its performance won’t directly impact the broader DC storyline being overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
While Joker: Folie à Deux still claimed the top spot at the weekend box office, its underwhelming debut is a sobering result for Warner Bros., especially given the film’s massive budget. With negative word of mouth circulating, it remains to be seen how the film will perform in the coming weeks and whether it can gain traction during awards season.
