The DC Comics villain Joker has always faced tough crowds. But even he might not have been ready for the cold reception his sequel received on opening weekend.
With the massive success of the first Joaquin Phoenix Joker film in 2019, anticipation was high for the follow-up, which included Todd Phillips as the returning director, and also stars Lady Gaga.
But after a sub-par opening weekend and a barrage of poor reviews, Joker: Folie à Deux is quickly shaping up to be remembered as a flop and arguably one of the biggest disappointments in comic book film history.
CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers during a film's opening night, gave the sequel a D — which is considered the lowest CinemaScore ever given to a studio comic book movie. Before Joker, it was Fantastic Four (2015) that held the bottom mark with a C-minus.
If that wasn’t harsh enough, PostTrak, which also surveys audiences, rated the the Warner Bros. film a half star out of five, according to Deadline. Rotten Tomatoes pegged it at just 33% on its Tomatometer.
At the box office, Joker: Folie à Deux earned roughly $40 million in domestic ticket sales during its opening weekend — a fraction of the $200 million it reportedly cost to make. And it also pales in comparison to its original Joker's debut in 2019, which grossed over $96 million and became the biggest October box office hit. (And let's not forget that the first of these two grossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the first R-rated movie in history to do so.)
Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck in the aftermath of his murder spree from the first film. At Arkham State Hospital, he meets and falls in love with fellow inmate Harley Quinn ("Lee") a.k.a Lady Gaga. All the while, Fleck's trial begins, questioning whether his madness was the result of a psychological disorder or part of an elaborate act.
Some film critics and comic book fans thought the sequel strayed too far from the original film, feeling unmoved by the sequel's musical direction — which came as a surprise to many moviegoers — and unconvinced by its subversive ending. Others simply felt the plot was "wafer-thin" and underwhelming, including the highly-anticipated love story of Fleck and Lee. On that note, some also complained that Gaga's talents were underutilized.
NPR's in-house film critic, Bob Mondello, gave the sequel more of a mixed review, stating that it did not deepen our understanding of the characters, but praised its stunning visuals and commended the film for taking risks.
"Joker: Folie a Deux maybe is a folly, but credit the filmmakers with taking a big swing and crossing up genre expectations," he said on All Things Considered.
Glenn Kenny in RobertEbert.com wrote "The movie is narratively, psychologically, and aesthetically incoherent" but did give some props to Phoenix and Gaga's performances.
"Both Lady Gaga and Phoenix clearly put a lot of work into their characterizations and interactions. The different performance modes they use in singing, for instance, low-key and fallible in their own “real lives,” full-on, professional quality belting in their shared dreams," he said.
IndieWire's David Ehrlich echoed that the film fell flat but applauded the choice of making it a musical: "No other genre makes it so easy to appreciate all the fun you’re not having."
He added, "Once again, Phillips has made a movie that Joker himself would probably approve of. This time, however, I’m much less convinced that other people will share the same enthusiasm for it."
Some critics have suggested that it was the film's intention all along to defy the genre's expectations and fanfare surrounding Joker. The title "Folie à Deux" means "madness of two" in French — not only a nod to Fleck and Lee's relationship, but the twisted bond between Joker and moviegoers. For that, some have hailed the film as "brilliant."
And there are yet others waiting to see if next weekend at the box office will be any different.
Either way, there is a bittersweet undertone to the sequel. Over the past few weeks, director Todd Phillips has made it clear to reporters that he is not interested in making a third Joker or solo Harley Quinn movie.
For those hoping the criticism would have been put to constructive use in another Phillips Joker film, well, the joke's on them.
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