Folie à Deux’ Falls Flat on Lands D CinemaScore box office

This is not a joke.

Sequel by Todd Phillips Joker: Folie à Deux It made history when it became the first Hollywood comic book film to receive a D CinemaScore from audiences. Exit polls are equally bleak with audiences expressing their dissatisfaction with the sequel.

This unhappiness translates into a troubled start at the box office, where the Warner Bros. film came in. Much lower than expectations. The controversial sequel earned $20 million on Friday, including $7 million in previews, against an expected $50 million launch. Rival studios show the Joaquin Phoenix – Lady Gaga film opening anywhere from $42 million to $47 million (one studio even believes $40 million or less).

Heading to the weekend, Joker 2 It was expected to gross between $50 million and $60 million. This was down from the $70 million expected three weeks ago when the picture debuted.

In 2019, joker It debuted to a dreamy $96.2 million and is on its way to a record global total of $1 billion.

Phillips’ polarizing, R-rated sequel — which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews — is a genre-busting, music-filled film that strays far from the comfort zone of the typical fan-fed comic book picture. Even more troubling than Thursday night’s gross were the terrible exit scores on PostTrak, where audiences gave it a half-star out of five, similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s Thursday night score. Major citieswhich bombed in spectacular fashion last weekend with $4 million after earning a D+ CinemaScore. (jokerPostTrak’s PostTrak could eventually change as the weekend continues.)

Even superhero movies that don’t do well at the box office usually score well. Marvel Studios Wonderswhich opened last year to $46.2 million, earned a B. Ditto award for the film from his fellow Warners. Flashwhich opened up a $55 million problem domestically.

Fanboy sites were quick to point out the historical meaning of the D grade Joker: Folie à Deux Late Friday night. And the first joker I didn’t even get an A, I got a B+.

While 2019 joker The film has earned comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s previous works, and the sequel is a much slower journey focusing on the inner lives of its two main characters. Critics praised the film’s overall beauty, performances, and craft but criticized it for its narrative. “For a two-and-a-quarter-hour movie, Foley In DUX “The narrative seems a bit weak and boring at times,” he wrote. Hollywood ReporterSenior film critic David Rooney is out of Venice.

Regardless of its box office performance, the film still hopes to be a major player in the Oscar race, especially for Phoenix and Gaga’s performances.

outside, Joker 2 It opens everywhere this weekend, except for Japan and China, where it will launch in the coming weeks. Warners is hoping for an $80 million to $85 million foreign debut.

Joker: Folie à Deux Phillips reunites with Phoenix, who returns in the titular role after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck/The Joker. Neither Phillips nor Phoenix were sure about making a sequel, and for a while, they considered doing a show on Broadway instead, before eventually committing to the film.

the first joker Production cost only $55 million before marketing. Following its success, Phillips was given a net production budget of between $190 million to $200 million for the second installment. Part of that went into bringing Gaga on board in a role inspired by comic book character Harley Quinn (the filmmakers hope it will appeal to female moviegoers).

Much of the film consists of fantasy musical scores starring the pair, who meet while Arthur is in Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial for his crimes from the first film. However, neither Warner nor Phillips feels comfortable calling it a straight musical, since only two of the characters sing, as opposed to a traditional musical, which typically involves dozens of people in numbers.

The studio’s marketing materials shied away from highlighting the film’s many musical sequences, just as they did on sale. Wonkaformal musical. Warner is not alone. Paramount also did not market it I mean girls As a musical.

Phillips is well aware that Part 2 is unconventional, in that it does not fully follow the end of the film. jokerWhich sees Arthur embracing his alter ego. At the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Monday, Phillips thanked the studio “for taking such a bold step,” adding, “It’s not necessarily the sequel you might expect.”

The numbers will be updated on Sunday morning