Warner Bros. has revised downward the box office opening for Joker: Folie à Deux to $37.8 million, even lower than their initial estimate of $40 million. The film’s domestic performance has been disappointing, with a steep decline of 45% on Sunday compared to Saturday.
While the film fared better overseas, grossing $81.1 million, its overall global performance is still underwhelming. The production cost of $190 million, significantly higher than the original Joker film, has also contributed to the film’s financial challenges.
The creative freedom granted to filmmaker Todd Phillips to make the movie he wanted came at a high cost. The greenlight price of $190 million was substantially above the original film’s budget, and the lack of additional co-financing partners further increased Warner Bros’ financial risk.
Several factors contributed to the disappointing box office performance of Joker: Folie à Deux, including misleading marketing, audience expectations, and negative word of mouth.
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Misleading Marketing and Audience Disappointment
Despite the film’s musical elements, the studio’s marketing campaign downplayed the musical aspect, potentially misleading audiences. This discrepancy between the marketing and content led to audience dissatisfaction and negative reviews.
The film’s low CinemaScore and negative audience feedback further contributed to its underperformance. The film’s final domestic gross is expected to be significantly lower than the record-breaking opening of the original Joker film.
The box office performance of Joker: Folie à Deux in its second weekend will be a crucial indicator of its overall success. While a drop of $9-$10 million is possible, it may still outperform the performance of The Marvels, which experienced a significant decline of 78% in its second weekend.
Joker 2 will also face competition from other new releases, including Sony’s Saturday Night, Iconic Events’ Terrifier 3, and Focus Features’ Piece by Piece. The performance of these films will impact Joker 2’s ability to maintain its position in the box office rankings.
