“Joker: Folie a Deux” is the No. 1 movie box officeBut it may not be destined to have a happy ending.
In a turn of events that only Arthur Fleck would find ridiculous, the follow-up Todd Phillips‘The 2019 origin story about the Batman villain was released in theaters nationwide this weekend with a modest $40 million, less than half of what its predecessor made, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The collapse was swift and left many in the industry wondering: How did this highly anticipated sequel to an Oscar-winning, billion-dollar film with the same creative team go so wrong?
Just three weeks ago, tracking services were projecting a $70 million debut for the film, which would fall well short of “Joker’s” record-breaking $96.2 million launch in October 2019. Reviews were mixed at the Venice Film Festival, where like the first film it premiered in competition and even received a 12-minute standing ovation.
But Homecoming’s glow was short-lived, and its fragile foundation would collapse in the coming weeks, with its Rotten Tomatoes score falling from 63% in Venice to 33% by its first weekend in theaters. Audience reviews were perhaps even more surprising: a survey of ticket buyers on opening night gave the film a lethal D CinemaScore. Posttrack’s exit polls were no better. It received a scant half a star out of a possible five.
“This is a double whammy that will be very difficult to recover from,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. “The biggest issue of all is the reported budget. A $40 or $50 million start would be a solid start for a less expensive film.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” cost at least twice as much to produce as the first film, although reported figures vary on how expensive it was to make. Phillips told Variety that this was less than the reported $200 million; Others have valued it at $190 million. Warner Bros. released the film in 4,102 locations in North America. About 12.5% of its domestic total came from 415 IMAX screens.
Internationally, it has grossed $81.1 million from 25,788 screens, bringing its total global gross to an estimated $121.1 million. In the next two weeks, “joker 2“Will also open in Japan and China.
Second place went to Universal and DreamWorks Animation.wild robot,” which added $18.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $64 million. Globally, it grossed over $100 million. Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice” finished third in the fifth weekend, Paramount’s “Transformers One” finished fourth and Universal and Blumhouse’s “Speak No Evil” rounded out the top five.
The weekend’s other big new release, Lionsgate’s “White Bird,” flopped with $1.5 million from just over 1,000 locations, despite an A+ CinemaScore.
Overall, the weekend is up from the same frame as last year, but the debut of “Joker” is an unwanted twist for theater owners hoping to reduce box office losses.
philips and star joaquin phoenix He has stated that he wished to make something “daring” like the first film. sequel added Lady Gaga As a Joker superfan, into the fold, and delve deep into the mind of Arthur Fleck, who was imprisoned in Arkham and awaiting trial for the murders he committed in the first place. It is also a musical, with elaborately imagined song and dance numbers according to old standards. Gaga also released a companion album titled “‘Harlequin” to accompany the film.
In his review for The Associated Press, Jake Coyle wrote that “Phillips follows up his anti-hero take on Joker with a very anti-sequel. It’s a mix of prison drama, courthouse thriller and musical, and then “It also becomes remarkably inert considering how flammable it was originally.”
The sequel has already been the subject of much speculation, with some believing that the sequel is deliberately alienating fans of the first film. In crude terms, this is referred to as the “middle finger”. But fans often ignore the advice of critics, especially when it comes to opening their wallets to see iconic comic book characters on the big screen.
“He took a swing for the fences,” Dergarabedian said. “But barring a few outliers, audiences in 2024 want to know what they’re getting when they go to the theater. They want the tried and true, the familiar.”
It also has some high-profile defenders: Francis Ford Coppolawho received his own D+ CinemaScore last week for his expensive, ambitious and divisive film “Megalopolis,” entered the joker chat with an Instagram post.
Coppola wrote, “@ToddPhillips’ films always surprise me and I thoroughly enjoy them.” “Since the wonderful ‘The Hangover’ he has always been one step ahead of the audience and never does what they expect.”
Meanwhile, “Megalopolis” dropped a terminal 74% in its second weekend with over $1 million, leaving its total at $6.5 million against its $120 million budget.
Deadline editor Anthony D’Alessandro believes that the problem began with the idea of making the Joker sequel a musical. “No fan of the original film wanted to see a musical sequel,” he wrote on Saturday.
The first film was also divisive and the subject of much discussion, again about whether it might send the wrong message to the wrong kind of person. And yet people flocked to see what the fuss was about. “Joker” garnered 11 Oscar nominations and three wins, including Best Picture and Best Director. It grossed more than $1 billion and was the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time until Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” took the crown this summer.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” $40 million.
2. “The Wild Robot,” $18.7 million.
3. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $10.3 million.
4. “Transformers One,” $5.4 million.
5. “Speak No Evil,” $2.8 million.
6. “Sam & Colby: The Legends of the Paranormal,” $1.8 million.
7. “White Bird,” $1.5 million.
8. “Deadpool and Wolverine,” $1.5 million.
9. “The Substance,” $1.3 million.
10. “Megalopolis,” $1.1 million.
Discover the new English music video for ‘The Joker’ sung by Lady Gaga
