Joker: Folie À Deux, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, had the lowest CinemaScore in comic book movie history, as the film was a box office flop on opening night.
The psychological musical thriller, which has been criticized as “bleak” and “disappointing,” officially opened in theaters on Friday, October 4, but only grossed $20 million at the domestic box office, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Phoenix reprized his role as the Joker in the sequel, which earned him an Oscar for his performance in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn).
However, Joker: Folie À Deux received a D CinemaScore rating, the lowest score for a comic book film.
Madame Web, which also flopped in theaters earlier this year and also received terrible reviews, has a higher score with a C+.
Joker: Folie À Deux, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, had the lowest CinemaScore in comic book movie history as the film swept the box office on opening night.
It received a D CinemaScore rating, the lowest score for a comic book film.
In rotten tomatoes, The film currently has an audience score of 31% and a critic score of 32%.
The sequel is projected to gross less than $50 million at the domestic box office over its entire opening weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Weeks ago, the film had been projected to gross around $70 million, but the figure has since dropped dramatically.
Joker (2019) notably opened with $96.2 million when the film was first released in theaters and eventually made just over $1 billion at the global box office.
The first film, which was also directed by Todd Phillips, had a budget of between $55 and $70 million. However, the budget for Folie À Deux increased to around $200 million.
The 2019 film garnered positive praise and reviews from critics and audiences alike and won the Golden Lion during the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
Joaquín received an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Joker (Arthur Fleck) and the film earned an additional Academy Award for Best Original Score.
The sequel also screened during the Venice International Film Festival last month in September, where it earned a 12-minute standing ovation, according to Deadline.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has an audience score of 31% and a critic score of 32%.
However, audiences warmed to X after the film opened in theaters on Friday and shared their thoughts on the sequel, which features musical sequences.
One fan wrote: “Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t deserve this.” What happened to the script? while another added: “Is it that bad?”, followed by a crying face emoji.
‘Ironically, I think a musical, if done well, could have been a good choice. “It would show how unreliable Fleck is as a narrator,” one wrote.
‘But with some original songs, which keep everything vague, not just covers. Also, when I heard the ending, I snorted fr.’
One social media user wrote: “Stop making sequels like musicals if the original wasn’t a musical.”
“Maybe he (Phillips) only had an hour-long movie and decided to add random musical scenes to fill the running time,” one wrote.
“The Joker’s downfall really needs to be studied,” another shared, along with a monkey looking out a window.
One fan said: “The movie sucks.” I had to leave the theater,” while another wrote: “After years of disagreement…*Joker 2 Premieres* Critics (shake hands) Audience.”
The sequel alone is projected to gross less than $50 million at the domestic box office over its entire opening weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, audiences have warmed to X after the film opened in theaters on Friday and shared their thoughts on the sequel, which was also a musical.
‘Ironically, I think a musical, if done well, could have been a good choice. “It would show how unreliable Fleck is as a narrator,” one wrote.
“The Joker’s downfall really needs to be studied,” another shared, along with a monkey looking out a window.
“That’s way below what we expected,” one wrote regarding the current Rotten Tomatoes scores. “People say this is the worst sequel ever.”
One fan explained: “Yeah, this movie was bad.” It was pretentious and boring. It has the aesthetics of an arthouse film without substance.’
‘It also insults the intelligence of the public. The songs were also disappointing. They shouldn’t have let this escape into the cinemas.’
One of them shared: “The audience that loved the first movie is not the same audience that runs to see musicals.” This was a gigantic mistake from step 1.’
During an interview with The Hollywood Reportr, Phillips discussed whether he would be interested in making a third Joker film or a film focused on Gaga’s character.
“That’s not really where this movie is going. I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two movies.”
Prior to the release of the film, Lady Gaga also released an album titled Harlequin on September 27.
Joker: Folie À Deux has been called “the most disappointing follow-up to the Oscar-winning film” by critics as they cast doubt on Lady Gaga’s “thin” role in the film following its release on Friday.
“That’s way below what we expected,” one wrote regarding the current Rotten Tomatoes scores. “People say this is the worst sequel ever”
One fan explained: “Yeah, this movie was bad.” It was pretentious and boring. It has the aesthetics of an auteur film without substance’
The ‘bleak’ sequel has also received a lukewarm reception from fans, with some claiming Lady Gaga’s career could be at risk.
Although the same director Todd Phillips was back in the hot seat, critics have said that the sequel is just a “reprise” of the first hit, but with an added musical touch.
Most critics have said that Todd did not use Gaga properly in the film and stated that she was only accepted for the musical aspect.
While most critics say Joker: Folie À Deux failed to live up to expectations, others have called the film “bold” and “brilliant.”
The Daily Mail’s Brian Viner praised the move as “bold” and “brilliant” but said it lacked emotion.
the independent Geoffrey Macnab said: “Today, Joker is best remembered as one of the most subversive and original films of the last decade, while its long-awaited sequel is as grim and formally daring as its predecessor.”
Meanwhile, the Irish times Donald Clarke gave the film only two stars, but credited Phillips’ work for making a sequel after the billion-dollar success of the first film.
Financial times Critic Danny Leigh said that although Gaga worked hard to boost ratings on the sequel, Phillips seemed to have no idea what to do with it.
Giving a three star rating, the guardian Peter Bradshaw stated that the film is “claustrophobic” and “repetitive.”
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Phillips discussed whether he would be interested in making a third Joker film or a film centered on Gaga’s character; Phillips, Gaga and Phoenix seen in September in Los Angeles
Joker: Folie À Deux has been called “the most disappointing follow-up to the Oscar-winning film” by critics as they cast doubt on Lady Gaga’s “thin” role in the film following its release on Friday; seen in september in london
Kevin Maher of the Times wrote: “Director Todd Phillips said there would be no sequel to the original, but he changed his mind and the result is a spin-off musical.”
“This might be the most disappointing follow-up to an Oscar-winning performance since Anthony Hopkins reworked his silky, terrifying Dr. Lecter for the cheesy and corny.”
Along with Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, other stars who appeared in the sequel include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beatz and Steve Coogan.
Joker: Folie à Deux has faced additional backlash from fans as they have claimed that Gaga is at risk of losing her acting career.
