We didn't think things could get any worse for Joker: Folie à Deux but following Warner Bros. $40 million opening weekend estimates and analysts predicting $39 million, the sequel actually debuted in North America with $37.8 million.
This places the Joker sequel significantly below other comic book movie flops, including Morbius ($39 million), The Marvels ($46.1 million), and The Flash ($55 million).
Based on how those performed, chances are Joker: Folie à Deux will end its domestic run with around $70 million. In 2019, Joker's opening weekend was a massive $96 million. If Todd Phillips had box office bonuses written into his contract for hitting certain benchmarks after the first movie grossed over $1 billion, he's got nothing to smile about today.
Here's how Joker: Folie à Deux's opening weekend went:
Not great, right? The movie was greenlit on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's watch and that's only served to further anger DC fans still upset about him scrapping the near-completed Batgirl.
Deadline has shared a great analysis which sheds some light on at least one of the reasons Joker: Folie à Deux has bombed:
As one wise industry colleague pointed out to me last night, whenever low CinemaScores register like this it’s because the audience was sold a bill of goods that wasn’t delivered upon by the studio. Ya know that poster of Joker and Harley dancing on the stairs? It’s not in the movie. As is de rigueur in movie marketing, studios don’t blatantly sell musicals as musicals or else no one will show up. They have to hide that in their movie marketing and trick audiences in the door. It’s then that they easily become a fan — or not, which was the case here.
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 playing in theaters.