“Joker: Folie à Deux” falls apart after earning a “D” CinemaScore, the research company’s lowest grade ever for a comic book film.

The previous record holder was 2015’s ‘Fantastic Four’, which received a ‘C-‘ CinemaScore. Meanwhile, “Folie à Deux’s” predecessor, director Todd Phillips’ 2019 original “Joker,” earned a “B+” grade according to the research firm’s survey of early audiences.

Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the titular Batman villain in “Folie à Deux,” and he is now joined by Lady Gaga as the equally insane Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn). While the first film was a gritty character study that won Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor, ‘Folie à Deux’ functions as a twisted musical and love story from the minds of Joker and Harley. The cast also includes Brendan Gleeson, Harry Lawtey, Catherine Keener and more.

“Folie à Deux” did not receive as many positive reviews as the first film. VarietyOwen Gleiberman’s leading film critic wrote “Joker: Folie à Deux” may be ambitious and superficially scandalous in his review, but at its heart it is an overly cautious sequel. Phillips has made a film in which Arthur is basically just poor Arthur; he does nothing wrong and will not compromise anyone’s moral sensibilities. In fact, he basically ruins the only good thing that ever happened to him – winning the love of Lee’s Harley Quinn – because he denies the Joker within himself. He is now just a singing and dancing puppet clown living in his imagination. Is That entertainment? I suspect audiences will still flock to see ‘Folie à Deux’. But when it comes to daring mainstream films, it’s the swear words that have the last laugh.”

“Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opened in theaters Friday, earned $20 million on its opening day. At the start of the weekend, “Joker 2” was expected to gross between $50 and $65 million in its box office debut, but now the Warner Bros. will probably premiere under these expectations.