The sequel to the blockbuster film Joker, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, has underperformed significantly at the box office, earning only $37 million in its opening weekend, which is even less than Sony's infamous flop Morbius. This disappointing figure comes nearly six years after the original Joker, which grossed $1 billion worldwide and debuted with $39 million in its first day alone. The sequel reportedly cost around $200 million to produce, leading to concerns for Warner Bros. Its performance has also been hampered by early negative reviews and a D CinemaScore, marking it as the lowest-rated comic book movie in CinemaScore history, surpassing even the poorly received Fantastic Four.

Why did Joker: Folie à Deux perform poorly at the box office?

Joker: Folie à Deux faced challenges such as early negative reviews, high production costs, and a potential lack of audience interest, leading to its disappointing box office results compared to the original film.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a sequel to the critically acclaimed 2019 film Joker, which starred Joaquin Phoenix and was directed by Todd Phillips. The first film offered a gritty, character-driven narrative that deviated from traditional superhero-origin storytelling. Its immense popularity led to high expectations for the sequel, which aimed to explore the relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. However, this potential failed to captivate audiences in the same way, resulting in a drastically different box office outcome.