Topline

“Joker: Folie à Deux” premiered in theaters on Friday and has already come a long way from the critical and commercial juggernaut of the first film in 2019, with the musical sequel – starring Joaquin Phoenix in his title role and Lady Gaga in the lead role – it alienates audiences and critics, and its box office projections are rapidly shrinking.

Key facts

How poorly does the ‘Joker’ sequel perform compared to the original?

Unlike the sequel, the first ‘Joker’ film premiered in 2019 to a largely positive reception from audiences and critics. Three weeks prior to release, Deadline predicted the film would earn between $65 million and $80 million in its opening weekend, suggesting the film could even gross as much as $90 million. The film exceeded expectations and grossed $96 million in its opening weekend, breaking the record for the biggest October opening of all time. The film completed its theatrical run with a total worldwide gross of $1.08 billion, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (a record surpassed in 2024 by “Deadpool & Wolverine”). “Joker” was hugely profitable: Deadline estimated that it generated about $437 million in net profits, thanks to its relatively low budget for a comic book movie of $70 million. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2019, where it won the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, kicking off a dominant awards season. “Joker” was nominated for 11 Oscars, the most of any film that year. Phoenix won awards season for his performance as Arthur Fleck, winning the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor, among others. The film also won an Oscar for Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score and became a focal point of cultural discussion, with some accusing the film of glorifying violence.

Is the ‘Joker’ sequel a musical?

Yes, critics who have reviewed the film seem to agree that it is a musical, although the film’s cast and director have refrained from actually calling the film a musical. At a press conference after the film’s premiere in Venice, Lady Gaga said she “wouldn’t necessarily say this is actually a musical,” saying that “the way the music is used is to give the characters a way to express themselves.” to express what they need to say. because the scene and the dialogue are not enough.” Her comments received some backlash from people who felt she had actually described a musical. Phillips acknowledged that the “Joker” sequel meets the definition of a musical, but said he hesitates to call it one because he feels “musical” has a positive connotation, and “I don’t know if you’d like to see this movie with leaves feeling better than you do. did it when you came in. The film features performances of classic American songs by Phoenix and Lady Gaga, which have divided audiences on social media. Musicals are tricky for movie studios to market and sell tickets to, a struggle that the musical adaptation “Mean Girls” faced earlier this year, downplaying the musical element in trailers and disappointing an audience that didn’t know that the film had musical numbers.

Main critics

Most reviews found the sequel to be unfocused and lacking a compelling enough plot to warrant a sequel, with some slamming the film’s music. Toronto Star critic Peter Howell said that “writer-director Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver clearly had no idea what kind of movie they were trying to make,” calling the musical numbers “relentless and increasingly irritating.” San Francisco Chronicle critic G. Allen Johnson said the sequel is a “traumatizing cinematic experience” and that Phillips “set fire to the entire idea of ​​a comic book movie.” IndieWire critic David Ehrlich said the musical numbers are “disappointing” and “either too sharp to convey anything Arthur couldn’t express without them” or “too vaguely related to the characters to express anything at all.” Some critics questioned who the film is for, noting that the film is too different to appeal to die-hard fans of the first ‘Joker’ film, while also underutilizing Lady Gaga to adequately appeal to her fan base to speak. Rolling Stone critic David Fear said, “This sequel is the exact opposite of fanservice,” suggesting the message to fans is, “Go fuck yourself.” Daily Beast critic Nick Schager said the film is “so determined not to please fans that it borders on antagonistic.” Deadline also reported that PostTrak, a company that surveys film audiences, found that audiences gave the film an abysmal ½-star rating, with only 23% saying they would definitely recommend the film to a friend.

What to pay attention to

Whether the “Joker” sequel can have a decent opening weekend at the box office — and whether it can turn a profit in the long run — despite poor reviews.

Read more

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Earns $7 Million in Thursday Night Previews, Receives 1/2 Star from PostTrak Audience – Box Office (Deadline)

Could Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ go crazy at the box office? $140M Global Start Eyed – Preview (Deadline)

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: Todd Phillips Explains Why He Won’t Call It a Musical, Despite It Being ‘The Definition of a Musical’ (The Wrap)