Joker 2 appears to be in serious trouble. After months, if not years of anticipation, the sequel to Todd Phillips ’ 2019 film Joker has finally arrived – and it’s safe to say that it’s not exactly living up to expectations. Released on 4 October, Joker: Folie à Deux sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck, with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Dr Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn.
Early reviews of the film following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last month were mixed, with more negative reviews emerging . Currently, it has an early Rotten Tomatoes rating of 33 per cent from critics, and a paltry 31 per cent audience score based on over 2,500 verified views. The bad news keeps coming, as the sequel makes cinema history for all the wrong reasons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , Joker: Folie à Deux is the first Hollywood comic book movie to earn a D CinemaScore from opening day audiences, spelling doom for its box office future. By comparison, Joker earned a favourable B+ CinemaScore. CinemaScore measures a film’s appeal by polling early reactions to major releases.
The sequel’s D-rating puts it on par with Russell Crowe’s terribly rated horror film The Exorcism , which is the only other film in the post-pandemic era to score as poor as D, according to Collider . Even Francis Ford Coppola’s incredibly divisive Megalopolis managed to score higher with a D+. With a D CinemaScore, Joker 2 is the most poorly reviewed studi.