In 2019, “Joker” became an improbable box office smash and cultural juggernaut. Sure, the R-rated crime drama was based on the ubiquitous Batman villain. But this take on the Clown Prince of Crime was darker and more disturbing than your average comic book adaptation — more akin to Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” than the DC anti-hero adventure “The Suicide Squad.
” Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” beat the odds (and controversy over security concerns) to generate $1.07 billion in worldwide ticket sales against a trim $55 million budget. After the Warner Bros.
release became one of the most profitable superhero movies in history and earned 11 Oscar nominations, a sequel was all but destined. Yet the second film, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opens in theaters on Friday, may not get the last laugh. The follow-up, bringing back Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and introducing Lady Gaga as his accomplice Harley Quinn, is tracking to collect $50 million to $65 million from 4,100 North American theaters in its box office debut.
It’s a steep drop from the first film, which launched to a stellar $96.2 million during the same weekend in 2019 and set an October opening weekend record. As for “Folie à Deux,” those projected ticket sales aren’t exactly a cause for concern, but they are something of a disappointment given the blockbuster success of the original.
The sequel carries a substantially larger $200 million price tag. “ J.
