Joker 2 Opening Weekend Box Office Isn’t All Smiles

Joker: Folie Á Deux‘s box office is sliding after a less-than exciting few days in theaters. Projections for the first weekend of Todd Phillips‘ sequel is shaping up for $47 million. Now, for other musicals, that would be absolutely fine. But, the material investment in Joker: Folie Á Deux has been nothing short of massive for Warner Bros. Discovery. Speculation on the Internet has swirled that the film had a budget nearing $200 million and the reviews before release were not exactly positive. Still, there had to be some hope that some of that 2019 magic was still in there for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga‘s big return to that world. It seems unlikely at this point and it’s unfortunate for comic book movie fans.

With films in this genre, there’s always the chance that the audience can bail out a movie. Joker: Folie Á Deux doesn’t seem to be getting that benefit at the box office this weekend. Rotten Tomatoes scores for the project are eerily similar between critics and audiences. It’s a 37% for critics and eye-popping 33% for the fans. It’s really a strange situation because of the amazing box office performance of the first movie. Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips won Oscars for their parts in Joker. Approximately 8 million think pieces set sail because of the film. It was a whole thing all across the world as people talked about the mental health ramifications of Joker’s narrative. Now, the whole enterprise feels like it’s going out with a whimper.

Another factor that some corners of the Internet are discussing is how much being a “musical” hurt this movie? (A hilarious angle to take when the Mean Girls reboot did solidly in theaters and on demand and Timothee Chalamet hit an absolute home run over the holidays with Wonka.) Musicals and Biopics are having an extended day in the sun lately at theaters. So, would embracing a little song and dance with this new flick really hurt it that badly? Variety asked Phillips about Joker: Folie Á Deux and he wanted to make it clear that his movie is not a musical. 

The filmmaker demurred, “I just don’t want people to think that it’s like In The Heights, where the lady in the Bodega starts to sing and they take it out onto the street, and the police are dancing. No disrespect, because I loved In The Heights.”

Joker 2 Signals The End Of The Road For This Universe

Despite the rough start for Joker: Folie à Deux, some people are still wondering if they couldn’t get a Joker 3 out of this movie. Todd Phillips hasn’t exactly been subtle about his intentions. The latest film is meant as a swan song for Arthur Fleck and this corner of the Batman multiverse. The hype around this movie was so high when Lady Gaga’s casting was announced a few years back. Now, after such a misdirection-filled rollout for Joker: Folie à Deux, maybe a different approach might be best. Talking to Variety earlier this year, the director signaled his intention to step away from DC films for now. 

“It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world… I’d love to keep working with Joaquin, but on a comedy, because he can be so loose and funny,” Phillips mentioned. “And I think people really want comedies right now. The trailer for ‘Joker 2‘ sort of sums things up when it says, ‘What the world needs now is love.’ But I would go farther: We could use a good laugh too.”

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