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Joker: Folie à Deux – A $200M Sequel Nobody Asked For

 |  ESTIMATED READING TIME:  3 MINUTES

The long-awaited, yet entirely unrequested, sequel to Joker has arrived. Joker: Folie à Deux takes what was once a dark, gritty exploration of Arthur Fleck’s descent into madness and transforms it into something… else. Released on October 4, 2024, this bloated $200M sequel tries to blend the Joker’s disturbing inner turmoil with a musical twist and a love story that nobody saw coming—or wanted.

A Sequel No One Needed (or Asked For)

From the moment the idea for Joker: Folie à Deux was born—literally in a dream that Joaquin Phoenix had—fans and critics alike wondered: why? The original Joker felt like a raw, standalone character piece that didn’t need a sequel. And yet, Todd Phillips returned to the director’s chair, given free rein by Warner Bros. to “do his thing.” What resulted was a confusing mash-up of psychological thriller, musical numbers, and a love story that feels as detached from reality as Arthur Fleck himself.

This time, Arthur is struggling with his dual identity, bouncing between failed comedian and the twisted figure of Joker. His time incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital brings him face-to-face with Harley Quinn (played by Lady Gaga), and while the chemistry is there, the storyline is not.

Musical Madness Nobody Wanted

One of the most controversial aspects of Joker: Folie à Deux was its decision to include musical numbers. The marketing downplayed this, and yet here we are—full-blown musical scenes that jar the audience out of the grim, chaotic world that made the first movie so captivating. Lady Gaga does her best as Harley Quinn, but the transition from gritty mental anguish to Broadway-style performances just doesn’t land. It’s as if Joker: Folie à Deux forgot what made its predecessor work: raw emotion and reality.

And speaking of Harley Quinn, Gaga’s performance shines, but the script doesn’t give her enough depth. Instead of delving into the complexity of her character, the movie chooses to lean on spectacle rather than substance. Sure, the costumes and sets are visually stunning, but it feels like window dressing for a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be.

A $200M Gamble That’s Failing to Pay Off

With a production budget of $200 million, including a $20 million payday for Phoenix and $12 million for Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux had high stakes from the get-go. But the film’s current box office stands at $116.5 million, making it a long shot to hit the $450M global box office mark needed to break even. Critics have been harsh, fans even more so. IMDB lists the film with a lukewarm 5.3/10, and only 28% of Google users liked the movie—a clear sign that Joker: Folie à Deux is more of a commercial and critical disappointment than a cultural touchstone.

It’s hard not to feel like this movie, much like other recent misfires (Morbius, anyone?), is part of a larger trend of high-budget projects that deliberately underperform. Could this be Warner Bros.’ subtle way of justifying future price hikes for streaming services or increased ticket prices? In an industry drowning in debt, Joker: Folie à Deux feels like a financial maneuver, a bloated spectacle that prioritizes shock value and star power over story.

Critical and Fan Backlash

Despite its massive budget and star-studded cast, Joker: Folie à Deux is faring poorly across the board. Rotten Tomatoes scores are brutal: 28% from critics and a mere 31% from audiences. Fans who were captivated by Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performance in the first movie were left baffled by this ill-conceived follow-up. Even with the best of intentions, the film struggles to find its footing between psychological drama, musical numbers, and its out-of-place love story.

The film’s box office struggles are reflective of its content. Domestically, it opened to just $37.8 million, and it’s limping along globally. Compared to similar superhero films, this is a disaster. Even Morbius outperformed it at the box office, making Joker: Folie à Deux one of the most puzzling box office flops in recent history.

Final Thoughts: A Case of Corporate Mishandling

Joker: Folie à Deux feels less like a sequel and more like a corporate experiment gone wrong. Warner Bros. gave Todd Phillips free rein to make something daring, and while it’s certainly different, it’s not in a good way. The film seems to have forgotten what made the original so groundbreaking, instead opting for bloated spectacle and an unnecessary musical twist that leaves audiences scratching their heads.

In an era where streaming services are raising prices, studios seem to be churning out deliberate flops to justify charging more for less. Joker: Folie à Deux is a prime example of this trend—an unwanted, unnecessary sequel that somehow costs a fortune while delivering almost nothing in return.