Analyzing the Box Office Failure of Joker: Folie à Deux Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga
Joker: Folie a Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is struggling at the box office. The movie started crawling in the Indian markets on the first weekend itself, which is shocking for a major Hollywood sequel.
Joker 2 Turns Colossal Disappointment; Heading For USD 2 Million Finish In India
The Todd Philips-directed musical thriller drama Joker 2 is witnessing massive drops in its box office trends after a decent opening in India. The sequel to a billion-dollar Hollywood biggie debuted on Wednesday (Gandhi Jayanti) in India and opened with Rs 5 crore net. What shocked the trade was its massive drop of around 85% on the following day, where it could not even collect Rs 1 crore in India. The movie ended up minting Rs 80 lakh on Day 2 and Rs 1.1 crore net on Day 3.
The movie could earn just a mere Rs 6.9 crore net (USD 1 Million) in its first three days of release in India. As per estimates, Joker 2 is expected to collect around Rs 1.75 crore on its Day 4 (Today) and take its extended first weekend total box office cume to somewhere around Rs 10 crore (USD 1.45 million) in India. The sequel is heading to end its run in India under USD 2 Million.
By comparison, the original Joker, which coincidentally also released on Gandhi Jayanti on a Wednesday, eased off by just 35 percent on the following day. That was actually a very strong hold, and the film did put strong legs with USD 83.30 million, i.e., Rs. 70 crore final gross.
What Went Wrong In Joker Folie à Deux?
Joker 2 has met with extremely negative word-of-mouth, which has almost sealed its box office fate. The Warner Bros movie turned out to be an epic disappointment both commercially and critically. Joker 2 was never needed in the first place, given the perfect ending of its previous installment. The latest Todd Philips movie felt like a forced sequel just to encash on the popular brand of the Academy Award-winning movie.
Moreover, the musical treatment of the story of Arthur Fleck turned out to be a big reason behind its colossal reception. The musical treatment has not only mellowed the psyche of the Joker’s legacy but also ruined all the fun the first part had.
In addition, the sequel didn’t offer anything new and fresh to the fans of Joker and ended up just being a half-baked court-room drama with a childish climax.
Joker: Folie à Deux CRASHES Globally, A Big Miss
The Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga starrer musical-drama has not only crashed in India but also opened to average reception in the US and other foreign markets. The worldwide opening for the film is projected to be around USD 125 million, roughly half of what the original had in 2019.
The movie is heading to end up being an epic disaster at the global box office. It will keep haunting the makers for the rest of their lives. They should forget it as soon as possible and move on further in life.
Watch Joker Folie à Deux Trailer:
About Joker: Folie à Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is set after Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) shoots Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) dead on his live talk show. Arthur Fleck is institutionalized at Arkham Asylum as he awaits the trial for his crimes as Joker. Arthur is charged with a total of 5 murders.
Arthur’s defense attorney tries to prove that it was not him but his alter ego, Joker, that was responsible for the killings and that now he is completely sane. The prosecution representing The State tries to prove that he was totally in control of himself when he murdered civilians and that he has been playing it all along since. It incidentally becomes the first court case that is televised.
Arthur meets Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) at the asylum and they fall in love. Quinn matches his freak and that’s what helps them get along.
Does Arthur really have a split personality or he is totally aware of all his actions? Can Arthur distinguish fiction from reality or does he struggle with it? Has Harley been pretending all along or she is indeed in love with Arthur? What’s the verdict of the court case? Watch Joker: Folie à Deux to find out.
Joker: Folie à Deux in theaters
You can watch Joker Folie à Deux at a theater near you now.
ALSO READ: Joker 2 Box Office Collections: Plummets by 85 percent on its second day in India