I can't believe the final box office numbers for Joker: Folie à Deux are much inferior to the 2019 original Clown film. Todd Phillips' 2024 sequel to his blockbuster DC film Elseworlds, set outside the main DC Universe, marked the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian and clown who finds himself imprisoned after embarking on a murder spree. . party like Joker. I thought about 2019 Clown was revolutionary, delivering a beautiful and engaging take on the iconic DC Comics supervillain, but I thought it was a shame that the sequel wasn't as well-received.
I saw Joker: Folie à Deux as soon as it was released in October 2024. As a huge fan of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, I loved the long-awaited sequel and thought its subversive, polarizing narrative and artistic style were exactly what Clown required sequence. Despite my opinion, however, Folie à Deux was met with strong reviews, with many feeling disappointed that Arthur Fleck did not let loose as the Clown (spoiler alert: that's the point). Unfortunately, this translated into some pretty abysmal box office numbers for Joker: Folie à Deuxbut there may still be hope for the 2024 sequel.
Joker: Folie À Deux's final box office is much lower than that of the original film
2019 grossed over $1 billion at the global box office
Clown broke major box office records upon its release in October 2019. In addition to winning many accolades, including two Oscars (Best Actor for Phoenix and Best Original Score, deservedly, for Hildur Guðnadóttir), I was thrilled to see Clown become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, with a total global gross of US$1.079 billion. Clown was the first and only R-rated film to surpass $1 billion prior to the Marvel Studios film's 2024 release Deadpool and Wolverinewhich also knocked him out of first place. Joker: Folie à Deux did not achieve this enormous level of success.
In the previous days Joker: Folie à Deux arrives on the Max streaming service, Warner Bros. revealed the final box office total for the 2024 sequel. I was actually shocked to learn this Joker: Folie à Deux only grossed a total of $206.4 million at the global box office (through Mojo Box Office)about a fifth of what the original Clown film achieved five years earlier. This nearly freed up the film's $200 million budget, a huge increase over its 2019 predecessor, but far from enough to Joker: Folie à Deux to equalize.
Why Joker 2's Box Office Total Is So Much Lower Than The Original Joker
Joker: Folie À Deux Public Divided
Following Joker released in 2019, many called for the development of a sequel which most wanted to include Arthur Fleck becoming fully the DC Comics' Joker and waging war in Todd Phillips' gritty Gotham. Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix were hesitant to create a sequel, which perhaps led them to develop a sequel that was very different from what many viewers actually wanted.. I loved how subversive and unexpected Joker: Folie à Deux it was, and I really liked that it was what the director and story wanted, not the fans, but others weren't as pleased with the result.
Charge Joker: Folie à Deux as a musical film also likely alienated viewers against the sequel. After watching Lady Gaga in A star is bornI knew that didn't mean Joker: Folie à Deux it would just be singing and dancing, and I love movie musicals, so that didn't put me off. Many did not share these views, however, so perhaps they had been put off going to the theaters to watch Folie à Deuxespecially when the public's relationship with the theater-going experience is also changing. Joker: Folie à Deux may have been doomed from the start.
Joker: Folie À Deux box office numbers prove an early streaming release is best
Joker: Folie À Deux will be available on Max on December 13, 2024
confirmed that Joker: Folie à DeuxWarner Bros, which is now available to buy at home, will arrive on the Max streaming service on Friday, December 13, 2024before being released on HBO linear on December 14th. This comes just over two months – 70 days – after the film debuted in theaters. I think this could be a big advantage for Joker: Folie à Deuxas the film's release so early on streaming means that viewers who were previously turned off by negative reviews can finally see it for themselves.
This could happen in two ways. More viewers watch Joker: Folie à Deux and do I agree with the consensus that the film is disappointing and lackluster, or do more viewers watch it and realize that it's actually not as bad as the wave of initial reviews and undue hate led many to believe. I suspect the latter will be the case, which could culminate in the overall performance scores for Joker: Folie à Deux rising. Unfortunately, this won't affect the film's total box office numbers, which will ultimately be detrimental to Todd Phillips. Clown franchise.
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