Joker was a record-breaking $1 billion hit in 2019. Following its release, the movie received countless award nominations, which eventually saw Joaquin Phoenix win a "Best Actor" Oscar for his role as Arthur Fleck.
Despite him and filmmaker Todd Phillips vowing to never make a sequel, they reunited for Joker: Folie à Deux and turned to singer and actress Lady Gaga to bring "Lee Quinzel" (a.k.a. Harley Quinn) to life.
Given a massive budget by Warner Bros.—the studio seemed sure that more box office success would follow that first instalment—Phoenix and Phillips got a tad self-indulgent with a musical that, ultimately, no one wanted to see (they've freely admitted to deciding to make a musical on a whim after previously discussing bringing Joker to Broadway).
The movie's failings were evident from a dismal $206 million haul at the global box office. As for awards, the only major prizes Joker: Folie à Deux won were "Worst Screen Combo" (Phoenix and Gaga) and "Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel" at the Razzies.
Talking to The Wrap, Warner Bros. film heads Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca explained why they stand by the divisive DC sequel.
"I really liked the movie. I still do," Abdy said, prompting De Luca to add, "It was really revisionist. It may be that it was too revisionist for a global mainstream audience, but I thought that Todd and his screenwriting partner Scott [Silver] did the thing that most people making sequels don’t do, which is they decided to not repeat themselves."
"I do give them immense props for not repeating themselves, but it just turned out to not connect with the audience," the executive added.
As of now, there are no concrete plans for either The Joker or Harley Quinn in DC Studios' DCU. James Gunn's apathy for Jared Leto closes the door on the TRON: Ares star returning as the Clown Prince of Crime, while Margot Robbie appears to have moved on from Harley.
We may, however, get another Elseworlds Joker when Barry Keoghan reprises the role in Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II.
Phoenix and Phillips have yet to comment on Joker: Folie à Deux's failings, but Lady Gaga has discussed the overwhelmingly negative response to the movie. "I wasn't, like, unfazed. It's funny, I'm almost nervous to share my reaction. But the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged."
"When it takes a while for something to kind of dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful. Only because I put a lot of myself into it," she continued. "There was a ton of negativity around Joker."
Do you think Joker: Folie À Deux deserves a little more love following its 2024 release?