Joker was a record-breaking $1 billion success in 2019, landing countless award nominations and even a "Best Actor" trophy for lead star Joaquin Phoenix.
Despite him and filmmaker Todd Phillips vowing to never make a sequel, they reunited for Joker: Folie À Deux and turned to singer and actor Lady Gaga to bring Lee Quinzel to life. Given a massive budget by Warner Bros. - the studio was likely convinced more box office success was guaranteed - Phoenix and Phillips chose to make a musical that, ultimately, no one wanted to see.
That's evident from a dismal $206 million haul at the global box office and the only awards Joker: Folie À Deux looks set to win this year are Razzies.
Elle recently ran a profile on Gaga and asked her about what proved to be a rare career misstep with Phillips' DC Comics adaptation.
"People just sometimes don't like some things," Gaga acknowledged. "It’s that simple. And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended."
For the singer, who became the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Grammy Award in the same year in 2019, it's the fear of failure which can be more damaging than actually failing.
"When that makes its way into your life," she told the site, "that can be hard to get control of. It’s part of the mayhem."
Neither Phoenix nor Phillips have spoken out about Joker: Folie À Deux's failings, though both are bound to have been left reeling from failing to net what would have been massive bonuses had the sequel been a hit.
You can check out Gaga's photoshoot by following the link in the X post below.
In our review of the movie, we concluded by saying, "Lady Gaga shines and Joaquin Phoenix brings more of the same to Joker: Folie à Deux, a wholly unnecessary sequel with no new ideas and nothing to say. It doesn’t work as a movie or a musical. What a waste of $200 million."
Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him.
The sequel stars Joaquin Phoenix once again in his Oscar-winning dual role as Arthur Fleck/Joker, opposite Oscar-winner Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born). The movie also features Oscar nominees Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Catherine Keener (Get Out), alongside Zazie Beetz, reprising her role from Joker.
Joker: Folie À Deux is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital, and can be found streaming on Max.