JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX… most could tell from the pretentious title that this was going to flop and flop hard.
With a catastrophic $37.7m opening weekend, the largest second-weekend drop for a DC film (81%), a worldwide take currently standing at a piddling $165m … how has the studio gone from the 2019 original, a billion-grosser that was then the highest earning R-rated film, to this?
EASY ANSWER: Nobody wanted a sequel in the first place, and what they got was a film they did not enjoy, that undercut the original,
ROTTEN TOMATOES…
With bad word of mouth, Audiences hated this movie, Joker: Folie à Deux is now projected to lose up to $200 Million, depending on whose budget estimate you believe. If it’s the $300m figure being generally touted for production and marketing, then this is clearly what has hobbled the film; it would need as much as $450 Million just to break even.
But don’t fret. Because Director Todd Phillips and star Joaquín Phoenix were both paid $20m and supporting actor Lady Gaga $12m; over a quarter of the $200m production budget. So while the may not appear to be happy that Joker 2 is such a disaster. The trio are crying, or possibly laughing, all the way to the bank.