Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, it is a follow-up to the 2019’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful Joker. Joker: Folie à Deux has been billed as a genre-bending musical, its dull narrative and heavy-handed eccentricities leave audiences disappointed.
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The first Joker was a cinematic experience, grossing over a billion dollars worldwide and receiving numerous accolades including 11 Academy Award nominations.
Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian who transforms into the Joker, was haunting and compelling, delivering raw emotion that captivated audiences.
Folie à Deux is its half-hearted embrace of the musical genre. Lady Gaga delivers her musical numbers with her characteristic flair.
The overall execution of the musical sequences feels disjointed and out of place in the narrative. Phoenix’s attempts at singing and dancing are more awkward than engaging.
Folie à Deux primarily follows Arthur Fleck’s life inside and outside Arkham State Hospital. The film’s narrative often drags with scenes alternating between courtroom trials, flashbacks and Fleck’s fantasies.
Despite Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Harley Quinn and Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck being one of the film’s most anticipated aspects, the chemistry between the two leads is disappointingly unconvincing.
The relationship fails to resonate with viewers. Their connection seems more forced than organic.
Folie à Deux is steeped in nihilism and dark themes, but unlike the first film, which balanced this with engrossing character development and plot progression, the sequel feels unnecessarily dour.
The film’s humor feels out of place or too forced, failing to provide any relief from the otherwise grim atmosphere. The forced eccentricities that punctuate the film make it difficult for the audience to feel engaged.
Folie à Deux with cinematic references, nodding to classic films like Modern Times and The Band Wagon, as well as directors like Martin Scorsese. These references feel more like surface-level nods rather than integral components of the movie’s themes.
Folie à Deux, particularly its cinematography by Lawrence Sher are visually compelling. The film’s use of lighting, framing and camera angles enhances the dark and unsettling atmosphere, even if the story doesn’t live up to the visuals.
Joker: Folie à Deux had a disastrous start at the box office. It opened to $47M weekend, well below projections despite a production cost exceeding $190M.
The opening day alone brought in $20M including previews, but the industry expected a sharp 20% decline in performance on Saturday.
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Joker: Folie à Deux received a disastrous D CinemaScore, and PostTrak audience exit polls rated it with a shockingly low half-star and only 40% positive feedback.
The film also fared poorly on Rotten Tomatoes, with its audience score plummeting to 36% and critical reviews dropping to 39% Rotten.
Many fans of the original movie rejected the idea of a musical sequel. The film’s attempt to blend the gritty tone of Joker with musical elements akin to a Stephen Sondheim-like production failed to resonate with audiences.
Folie à Deux was heavily criticized for failing to communicate the film’s musical nature. Instead, Warner Bros. tried to sell it as a conventional Joker film.
Moreover, the decision to debut the film at the Venice Film Festival was viewed as another blunder. The month-long gap between the festival and the theatrical release allowed negative reviews and poor audience reception to fester.
Folie à Deux ballooned to $190M, an increase from the original’s $70M. A large portion of this increase is attributed to the combined salaries of director Todd Phillips, Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, which totaled $50M.
Folie à Deux primarily attracted men over 25 and women over 25. However, the reception from both groups was poor, with male audiences giving it a 40% grade and female audiences scoring it at 46%.
The film’s audience was diverse with 43% Caucasian, 27% Latino, 8% Black and 17% Asian viewers. Among moviegoers, 43% attended because of Joaquin Phoenix, 39% because of Lady Gaga and 39% because they loved the franchise.
Joker: Folie à Deux was compared to other non-Disney musicals in terms of its box office debut. It opened close to Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody.
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