Joker: Folie À Deux Opening Box Office Projected To Be Lower Than 2019’s Joker

By Felipe Rangel

Published Oct 2, 2024

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Image via Warner Bros.

What Joker: Folie À Deux’s Box Office Projections Mean?

The DC Sequel Has A Hill To Climb

Joker: Folie à Deux's projected opening is not looking great for the franchise. While the original movie managed to exceed projections, which could still be the case for the sequel, it was a very different situation. Despite adding Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, one of DC's most popular characters, the fact that Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical could heavily impact its box office. The movie is the first time a superhero entry delves into the genre, and that uncharted territory makes it hard to predict if audiences will respond better than critics have.

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes currently has a 58% Tomatometer score for Joker: Folie à Deux after critics got to watch the DC film. That classifies the movie as "Rotten," different from the original Joker, which boasts a 69% score with critics, making it "Fresh." Joker: Folie à Deux's mixed reviews, the choice to make it a musical, and the fact that 2019's Joker could have served as a fitting end for Arthur Fleck's story should all impact the sequel's box office. Based on the projections, the Joker sequel will likely end its global run quite below the original.

Our Take On The Joker: Folie À Deux Box Office Projections

Joker's Level Of Success Is Not Needed

Based on Joker: Folie à Deux's projected opening, I can't see it becoming a $1 billion hit like the original Joker. In the end, I think that is okay, as director Todd Phillips has no plans to continue the Joker franchise beyond the film. Based on the Joker sequel's reported budget of $200 million, quite higher than the original's $60 million, as long as the sequel makes over $400 million to recoup its budget and marketing costs, as well as earns a profit, then Joker: Folie à Deux should not face problems, even if it falls short of 2019's Joker.

Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker's lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.