Well, I know one thing for sure. There is not going to be a Joker 3.
Joker: Folie à Deux is more than a flop, bigger than a bomb. According to a new report, the film is doing so poorly at the box office that it could wind up being a $200 million loser for Warner Bros. and DC Studios.
The film has thus far grossed $51 million in the U.S. and $164 million worldwide. For a movie that cost a reported $200 million before you factor in the costs of marketing, that is not good. Indeed, per Variety, “Joker 2 cost $200 million to produce and roughly $100 million to market and distribute. At this rate, the film won’t get anywhere close to the $450 million needed to break even in its theatrical run (ticket sales are split between studios and theater owners). Sources at Warner Bros. say the movie will break even at $375 million.”
They quote anonymous “insiders” who estimate Folie à Deux is “now poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run.”
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This is a complete 180 from the original Joker which was reportedly made for around $55 million and wound up grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, turning the Todd Phillips DC adaptation into one of the biggest comic-book movies in history. Its astonishing success essentially handed Phillips a blank check to make this sequel however he wanted with star (and Oscar winner) Joaquin Phoenix.
They turned around and made Folie à Deux, a difficult, dark quasi-musical that seemed to lash out at the entire world — up to and including the fans of the first movie. They cast Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn — depicted in their film as a deranged fan of the Joker (and, in a sense, of the fans of Joker), egging Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck to embrace his chaotic alternate identity.
The movie felt like it was designed to be abrasive, and audiences responded accordingly. It got the lowest CinemaScore for a major comic book movie in history. Last weekend it had the worst percentage drop for a DC movie to date. So, again, don’t hold your breath for Joker 3.
Why Did ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Flop So Badly?
Joker grossed $1 billion and became a massive smash. The sequel, from many of the same creators, is looking like one of the costliest sequels ever. So what went wrong?