Summary
TheJoker 2box office numbers for its opening weekend were worse than Warner Bros. expected. Projections for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga’sJoker: Folie a Deuxwere lowered before its release, but the DC film failed to reach those figures.
WhenJoker2first came on tracking in mid-September, it was on course to open with $70 million. Roughly a week before its release,Joker 2box office predictionshad dropped to a $50-60 million opening weekend gross. However, the DC sequel failed to clear even the lowered expectations, and the response from audiences suggests it may not be able to improve its financial fortunes.
Joker 2 Vastly Underperformed at Weekend Opening
Must Earn Over 10x More to Break Even
Joker 2opened with an estimated domestic total of $40 million.According toThe Hollywood Reporter, even the $50-60 million projections were lowered as the weekend progressed, but “most rival studios” still estimatedJoker 2would finish its first weekend with $45 million to $47 million. WhileJoker 2’s overseas debut of $81.1 million brought its worldwide total to $121.1 million, that figure still trails the first film’s $248.4 million global premiere.Varietynotes that sources familiar withJoker 2’s finances estimatethe film needs to earn $450 million to break even.
Joker 2is also suffering from poor reviews. While the firstJokerhad its fair share of criticswho weren’t nearly as impressed as others, it still earned a 68% Rotten Tomatoes critics score compared toJoker 2’s 33%. However, while audiences were more positive toward the firstJokerfilm, giving it a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%, they’ve been equally as harsh as critics ofJoker 2by giving the sequel a 31% score.Joker 2also received a D on CinemaScore, the lowest rating ever for a comic book movie. This bad word-of-mouth likely contributed toJoker 2’s poor box office debut. Per THR, Warner Bros. is “stunned and sorely disappointed” byJoker 2’s box office results. Still, the studio reportedly believesJoker 2director Todd Phillips is “a creative genius and worthy of gambling on.” THR also notes thatJoker 2is still hoping to be an Oscar contender, “particularly for Phoenix and Gaga’s performances.”
Fans will likely continue discussing whyJoker 2is failing at the box office despite its predecessor’s record-breaking success. After all, poor reviews haven’t stopped a film from becoming a box office blockbuster before. PerhapsJoker 2’s controversial ending, which leaked ahead of its release, soured already skeptical moviegoers. Maybe the firstJokerfilm was lightning in a bottle that was always going to be impossible to recapture. Some might argueJokerworked well as a standalone film and a sequel was unnecessary, even with the intriguing addition of Lady Gaga as a fan-favorite character Harley Quinn. It may not help that some reviews interpretJoker 2as being critical of those who liked the first movie, or at least found themselves relating to Arthur Fleck, possibly driving away fans of the original.
Regardless of the reason,Joker 2has continued Warner Bros.' unfortunate string of DC flops, potentially adding more pressure to James Gunn’s upcoming DC Universe reboot to deliver box office gold whenSupermandebuts in theaters next summer.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Cast
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker acts as an origin story for Batman’s most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-on-his-luck clown who is trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don’t go according to plan, and Arthur feels Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur sparks a violent revolution within the city. Alongside Phoenix stars Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, and Frances Conroy.
