Warner Bros.’ ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ , a dark new musical Batman spinoff, earned an estimated $40 million over the weekend to top the North American box office, industry watchers reported Sunday. To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu- Click Here But that was far behind the $96.

2 opening of the original ‘Joker’ in 2019, a movie that earned Joaquin Phoenix a best-actor Oscar and grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Industry analyst David A. Gross called it ‘a weak opening for the follow-up sequel in a superhero series’.

‘Folie a Deux’ – French for ‘shared madness’ – again stars ‘Joker’ actor Phoenix as the unbalanced titular villain, this time joined by Lady Gaga (playing the cheerily deranged Harley Quinn) as the two sing, dance and plan assorted acts of mayhem. Todd Phillips directs, and the cast includes Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener. Last week’s box office leader, family-friendly sci-fi tale ‘The Wild Robot’ from DreamWorks Animation, slipped a spot to second, taking in $18.

7 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations estimated. A post shared by Boxoffice PRO (@boxofficemagazine) Lupita Nyong’o voices Roz, an intelligent robot who is marooned on an uninhabited island and, to survive has to befriend a menagerie of woodland animals – and ends up adopting an adorable gosling. Warner Bros.

’ ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ also slipped a spot, to third, earning $10.3 million. Michael Keaton agai.