Movie "Joker: Folie à Deux" flops in US cinemas - bad grades
"Joker: Folie à Deux" starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix flopped at the US cinema release. The audience gave it poor marks.
The dark comic adaptation "Joker" with Joaquin Phoenix as the ingenious killer clown made a big splash at its US cinema release five years ago. Todd Phillips' drama grossed more than 96 million dollars on its premiere weekend in North America. It earned Phoenix an Oscar.
The debut of the sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux". According to estimates, just 40 million dollars have flowed into the box office since Friday, with industry portals calling it a flop. The film, which features musical elements and stars Phoenix and Lady Gaga, fell far short of expectations in the USA and Canada.
Poor audience ratings
Some scathing reviews and unusually poor audience ratings played a role in this. In surveys conducted by the company "Cinemascore" after going to the cinema, viewers only gave the film a grade of D - on a scale from A+ (best grade) to F.
This indicates poor word of mouth and a considerable slump in sales over the next few weeks. According to the industry publication "Hollywood Reporter", this is the first comic book film adaptation ever to be punished by audiences with a D, comparable to a school grade of 4. "Joker" was received with a B+ in 2019.
Unusual format
The sequel, also by director Todd Phillips, dares to use a kind of musical format that clearly does not appeal to comic fans in the USA. Phoenix and Lady Gaga sing together as Joker and Harley Quinn. The emotional songs are in stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere in Gotham City.
Worldwide, the debut of "Joker: Folie à Deux" performed slightly better. According to estimates by the industry portal "Boxoffice Mojo", more than 81 million dollars were collected outside North America over the weekend. If you add up the takings in the USA and Canada, the film has a global start of 121 million dollars.
Films often recoup their production costs straight away on a good opening weekend. "Joker: Folie à Deux" is far from that. The film is said to have cost the Warner Bros. studio around 200 million dollars.
