Todd Phillips’ original Joker movie, released in 2019, received critical praise and became an immediate movie office blockbuster, making more than $1 billion.
Everyone expected a sequel, and Joker 2 was officially announced in 2022.
Over the following two years, the buzz around the sequel grew, and everyone had great hopes.
However, the unexpected occurred after its release: it got a storm of negative feedback and was a massive box office failure.
The original Joker, which was originally meant to be a solo film, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a failing clown and stand-up comedian whose spiral into mental illness and nihilism leads him to embrace an alter persona known as the ‘Joker.’
Joker: Folie à Deux expands on this, seeing Joker battling with his identity as he falls in love with Harley Quinn (Gaga) at Arkham Asylum.
Unlike the first, Joker 2 is a jukebox musical in which Phoenix and Gaga sing various songs, including ‘To Love Somebody’ and ‘Gonna Build a Mountain.’
In an interview with Empire, Gaga said that the job ‘was unlike anything’ she’d ever done before, requiring a recalibration of her vocal abilities.
She said, “I’m a trained singer, right? So even my breathing was different when I sang as Lee.”
“When I breathe to sing on stage, I have this very controlled way to make sure that I’m on pitch and it’s sustained at the right rhythm and amount of time, but Lee would never know how to do any of that.”
“So it’s like removing the technicality of the whole thing, removing my perceived art form from it all and completely being inside of who she is.”
Despite such commitment to the character, the film does not seem to have resonated with spectators.
According to Variety, Joker: Folie à Deux scored a ‘D’ CinemaScore, the lowest rating ever awarded to a comic book film by the market research organization.
To show how big of a failure this is, Madame Web and Morbius both have higher ratings.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw summarized many people’s opinions, labeling the sequel ‘claustrophobic’ and ‘repetitive.’
Laura Potier wrote for Starburst: “Joker: Folie à Deux has nothing interesting or relevant to say, seems to resent its existence, and wastes its performers. Phoenix doesn’t even look like he wants to be there. And frankly, we have to agree.”
As one insider tells The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a ‘complete audience rejection.’
According to Metro, the sequel performed poorly in terms of opening weekend earnings.
It allegedly earned just $40 million at the box office in the United States, much less than its predicted $70 million.
Of course, this might yet improve – but not considerably.
With the low scores, a flurry of unfavorable reviews, and lackluster box office figures, it’s been stated that Gaga was taken aback by the result, particularly after receiving a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
According to the Daily Mail, the pop queen is ‘disappointed’ with the response Joker 2 has gotten since she ‘placed so much love’ into it.
An insider has told the newspaper: “She thought that this film could get her an Oscar nomination, especially since the first film was such a success and Joaquin won an Oscar.”
They claim that Gaga is now considering another major project, with her team urging her to ‘ move on this as soon as possible.’
During the film’s controversy, many individuals took to social media to challenge the sequel’s musical portion.
On X, previously Twitter, one viewer writes: “Joker 2 is the worst film ever. Why the hell did they turn it into a musical, it’s a load of c***.”
A second person agrees: “The new Joker movie is actually a musical. Dead** at least 20 songs throughout it… every scene just turned into them breaking out singing.”
“I was so disappointed compared to the first movie.”
“The audience that loved the first movie is not the same audience running to see musicals,” points out a third. “This was a gigantic mistake from step one.”
Meanwhile, some have resorted to social media to question why there is so much disdain for the film and its musical part.
One member of X says: “If you hate Joker 2 for the sole reason that it’s a musical, you are a low-IQ individual and [are] also anti-art.”
“It’s brilliantly acted, and beautifully shot. I didn’t mind the fantasy ride into Arthur’s musical mind,” weighs in another.”
View the trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux below.
