“Joker: Folie à Deux” Struggles at the Box Office Despite Being No. 1
“Joker: Folie à Deux” has claimed the top spot at the box office, but it may not have a happy ending in sight. In a twist that only Arthur Fleck might appreciate, the highly anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 origin story about the iconic Batman villain opened in theaters nationwide this weekend with a lackluster $40 million, less than half the debut of its predecessor. The swift decline has left many in the industry questioning how the sequel to an Oscar-winning, billion-dollar film could falter so dramatically.
Just three weeks prior, tracking services had projected a $70 million debut for the film, which still would have represented a significant drop from “Joker’s” record-setting $96.2 million opening in October 2019. While reviews were mixed out of the Venice Film Festival—where the film premiered in competition and received a 12-minute standing ovation—the early praise was short-lived. The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score plummeted from 63% at Venice to 33% by its first weekend in theaters. Even more troubling were audience reviews, with ticket buyers giving it a disappointing D CinemaScore, while exit polls from PostTrak rated it a mere half star out of five.
“That’s a double whammy that’s very difficult to recover from,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “The biggest issue of all is the reported budget. A $40 or $50 million opening for a less expensive movie would be a solid debut.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” cost at least twice as much to produce as the first film, with reported figures varying on its final budget. Phillips stated it was below the reported $200 million, while others estimate it at around $190 million. Warner Bros. released the film across 4,102 locations in North America, with about 12.5% of its domestic total coming from 415 IMAX screens. Internationally, it has grossed $81.1 million from 25,788 screens, bringing its global earnings estimate to $121.1 million. The film is set to open in Japan and China in the next two weeks.
In second place was Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” which added $18.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $64 million. The film has grossed over $100 million globally. Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” took third place, while Paramount’s “Transformers One” landed in fourth, and Universal and Blumhouse’s “Speak No Evil” rounded out the top five.
The other significant new release of the weekend, Lionsgate’s “White Bird,” flopped with just $1.5 million from over 1,000 locations, despite receiving an A+ CinemaScore.
Overall, the weekend saw an increase from the same period last year, but “Joker’s” underwhelming start is an unwelcome development for theater owners hoping to close the box office gap.
Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix aimed to create something as “audacious” as the original film. The sequel features Lady Gaga as a Joker superfan and delves deeper into Arthur Fleck’s psyche, portraying him as imprisoned in Arkham while awaiting trial for the murders committed in the first film. The sequel also introduces musical elements, complete with elaborate song and dance numbers. Gaga even released a companion album titled “Harlequin” alongside the film.
In his review for The Associated Press, Jake Coyle remarked that “Phillips has followed his very antihero take on the Joker with a very anti-sequel. It combines prison drama, courthouse thriller, and musical, yet feels remarkably inert compared to the original’s explosive energy.”
The sequel has sparked considerable discussion, with some critics suggesting it deliberately alienates fans of the first film. In more blunt terms, it has been described as a “middle finger” to its audience. However, fans often disregard critics’ opinions when it comes to purchasing tickets for beloved comic book characters on the big screen.
“They took a swing for the fences,” Dergarabedian remarked. “But except for a couple of outliers, audiences in 2024 seem to want to know what they’re getting when they go to the theater. They want the tried and true, the familiar.”
It does have high-profile defenders, including Francis Ford Coppola, who recently received a D+ CinemaScore for his ambitious and divisive film “Megalopolis.” Coppola shared his admiration for Phillips’ work in an Instagram post, stating, “@ToddPhillips films always amaze me, and I enjoy them thoroughly. Ever since the wonderful ‘The Hangover,’ he’s always been one step ahead of the audience, never doing what they expect.”
“Megalopolis,” meanwhile, dropped a staggering 74% in its second weekend, grossing just over $1 million and bringing its total to just shy of $6.5 million against a $120 million budget.
Deadline editor Anthony D’Alessandro suggested that the decision to make the Joker sequel a musical may have contributed to its struggles. “No fan of the original movie wanted to see a musical sequel,” he wrote on Saturday.
While the first film was also divisive and sparked much discourse about its potential impact on audiences, it ultimately attracted large crowds. “Joker” garnered 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, winning three awards. It grossed over $1 billion, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time until it was surpassed by Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” this summer.
Estimated ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore, are as follows:
- “Joker: Folie à Deux,” $40 million
- “The Wild Robot,” $18.7 million
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $10.3 million
- “Transformers One,” $5.4 million
- “Speak No Evil,” $2.8 million
- “Sam and Colby: The Legends of Paranormal,” $1.8 million
- “White Bird,” $1.5 million
- “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $1.5 million
- “The Substance,” $1.3 million
- “Megalopolis,” $1.1 million
Source: AP