Who could have thought that a sequel to the highest-grossing R-rated film (before Deadpool and Wolverine dethroned it), which even won an Oscar for Best Actor, would open with the most disastrous numbers in comic book movie history? Joker: Folie à Deux (aka Joker 2) has turned out to be a massive box office dud globally, marking a historic milestone in reverse. The Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga starrer, which released last week, hasn’t even come close to meeting estimates, let alone holding any hope for redemption. As a result, it has earned the lowest CinemaScore ever for a comic book-inspired movie. This is a shocking twist, considering the high level of excitement and anticipation surrounding the film. 

Joker 2 Box Office Opening

Directed and written by Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux (aka Joker 2) is the second film in the Joker franchise. It follows the story of the first movie, where Arthur Fleck committed five murders (or six, counting his confession to killing his mother). Folie à Deux takes us to Arkham Asylum, where Arthur is awaiting trial and meets Lee, aka Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. The film then shifts to Arthur’s trial, where he faces off against State Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face.

The movie opened to mixed reactions, with many feeling that the story didn’t land as expected. The inclusion of musical elements was also criticized by both audiences and many critics. All of this contributed to a disappointing opening.

According to Screendaily, Joker: Folie à Deux earned $37 million in North America and $77 million worldwide in its opening weekend, bringing the total to $114.8 million globally. This represents a massive drop compared to Joker (2019). The first film earned over $1 billion during its lifetime, with a domestic opening of $96.2 million in North America and $152.2 million from overseas markets, for a total of $248.4 million. This means that Joker 2 failed to even reach half the opening collection of the original, which is quite disappointing.

What’s even more disheartening is that Joker: Folie à Deux, despite higher buzz and better production quality, now joins the list of the worst opening weekends for comic book-inspired movies, alongside Morbius ($39 million), The Marvels ($46.1 million), and The Flash ($55 million).

Lowest CinemaScore Rating

Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get worse, Joker: Folie à Deux has earned the lowest CinemaScore for a comic book movie ever: a D rating. This is the worst score in comic book movie history, beating out Fantastic Four (2015), which received a C- score. Even Madame Web holds a C+ rating. The first Joker film (2019) had a much higher B+ score.

There is little to no hope for redemption for Joker: Folie à Deux, with reports suggesting the film might only manage around $70 million domestically in its lifetime. This would make it the worst-performing movie in DC’s Elseworlds, a sharp contrast to the massive success of its predecessor.

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