Bad reviews and falling box office forecasts

Topline

Joker: Folie à Deux opened in theaters on Friday, and the musical sequel – starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role and Lady Gaga in the lead role – is already a far cry from the critical and commercial performance of the first film in 2019. They alienate audiences and critics and box office receipts are declining rapidly.

Important facts

How poorly does the “Joker” sequel compare to the original?

In contrast to the sequel, the first “Joker” film received a predominantly positive response from audiences and critics when it premiered in 2019 and became a surprising box office and awards success. Three weeks before its release, Deadline predicted that the film would gross between $65 million and $80 million in its opening weekend, suggesting it could even gross as much as $90 million. The film exceeded expectations, grossing $96 million in its opening weekend, breaking the record for the biggest October opening ever. The theatrical release ended with a worldwide gross of $1.08 billion, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (a record surpassed by Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024). “Joker” was extremely profitable: Deadline estimated that the company made a net profit of around $437 million thanks to its relatively low budget of $70 million for a comic book film. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2019, where it won the festival's top prize, the Golden Lion, marking the start of a dominant awards run. “Joker” was nominated for 11 Oscars, the most of any film this year. Phoenix won awards season for his performance as Arthur Fleck, winning the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award for Best Actor, among others. The film also won an Oscar for its score by Hildur Guðnadóttir and became a focal point of cultural debate, with some accusing it of glorifying violence.

Is the “Joker” sequel a musical?

Yes, critics who have reviewed the film seem to agree that it is a musical – although the film's cast and director have refrained from actually calling it a musical. At a press conference after the film's premiere in Venice, Lady Gaga said she “wouldn't necessarily say that it's actually a musical,” explaining, “The way the music is used is to… “Giving characters a chance to express what they want to say because the scene and dialogue aren't enough.” Her comments were met with some resistance from people who felt she was actually describing a musical. Phillips acknowledged that the “Joker” sequel fits the definition of a musical, but said he hesitates to call it a musical because he believes “musical” has a positive connotation, and “I don't know. whether you leave this film feeling better than you did when you came in.” The film features performances of classic American songs by Phoenix and Lady Gaga, which divided audiences on social media. It's difficult for movie studios to market and sell tickets for musicals, a problem faced by the musical adaptation “Mean Girls” earlier this year, which downplayed the musical element in trailers and disappointed some viewers who didn't know the film had musical numbers.

Main critic

Most reviews found the sequel to be unfocused and lacking a compelling plot to justify a sequel, with some criticizing the film's music. Toronto Star critic Peter Howell said, “Writer-director Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver clearly had no idea what kind of film they wanted to make,” and called the musical numbers “incessant and increasingly annoying.” San Francisco Chronicle critic G. Allen Johnson said the sequel was a “traumatizing cinematic experience” and that Phillips “drew the whole idea of ​​a comic book film into disarray.” IndieWire critic David Ehrlich said the musical interludes were “disappointing” and “either too intrusive to convey something Arthur couldn't express without them” or “too vaguely connected to his characters to express anything at all.” Some critics questioned who the film was for, saying it was too different to attract die-hard fans of the first Joker film, while underutilizing Lady Gaga to sufficiently appeal to her fan base. Rolling Stone critic David Fear said, “This sequel is the exact opposite of fan service,” suggesting that the message to fans was, “Fuck yourself.” Daily Beast critic Nick Schager said The film is “so determined not to please fans that it borders on antagonism.” Deadline also reported that PostTrak, a company that surveys film audiences, found that audiences gave the film a terrible ½- Star rating, with only 23% saying they would definitely recommend it to a friend.

What you should pay attention to

Whether the “Joker” sequel will have a decent opening weekend at the box office despite the bad reviews – and whether it can make a profit in the long run.

Further reading

'Joker: Folie à Deux' Earns $7 Million in Thursday Night Preview, Gets Half Star from PostTrak Audience – Box Office (Deadline)

Can Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix's 'Joker: Folie à Deux' take off at the box office? $140M Global Launch Eyed – Preview (Deadline)

'Joker: Folie à Deux': Todd Phillips explains why he refuses to call it a musical, even though it's 'the definition of a musical' (The Wrap)