Oh, look how the mighty have fallen! Joker: Folie à Deux had all the hype in the world, but its downfall needs deeper analysis. Todd Phillips had all the elements that made the original 2019 entry a record-smashing success at the global box office, yet the sequel emerged as a colossal misfire. It is almost certain to be ridiculed this awards season. Adding to its woes, the latest Joaquin Phoenix starrer has recorded a miserable 81% drop in its second weekend, marking the worst second-weekend decline for a comic book movie in the domestic market (US and Canada). It earned only $7 million this weekend. Ouch!
According to World of Reel, this drop is even worse than that of Morbius and The Marvels. How about adding more fuel to the fire? Joker’s second domestic weekend collection is less than Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s sixth domestic weekend collection. The latter will soon be available for streaming, which raises the question: how soon will Joker 2 be available for streaming?
Joker 2’s current global collections stand at $165.5 million, against a nearly $200 million budget. Plus, an additional $100 million has been spent on marketing and distribution. According to Variety, the sequel needs to gross over $450 million to break even. Based on its current performance, it seems Folie à Deux may end up losing Warner Bros. over $150 million.
Joker 2 exemplifies the fact that going bigger doesn’t always lead to success; sometimes, quality matters. Helmed (or perhaps “destroyed”) by Todd Phillips, the sequel stars Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, and more. Stay tuned for further updates.
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