Key conclusions
- Joker 2's box office debut fell short of low expectations, opening with $40 million domestically.
- The film received poor reviews, earning a 33% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a D CinemaScore.
- Despite Warner Bros' disappointment, Joker 2 is still hoping to be an Oscar contender for Phoenix and Gaga's roles.
The Joker 2 opening weekend box office was worse than Warner Bros. expected. Projections for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga Joker: Folie a Deux were discounted prior to release, but the DC film failed to reach those numbers.
If Joker 2 first appeared on tracking in mid-September, it was slated to open with $70 million. About a week before release, Joker 2 box office projections dropped to a $50-60 million opening weekend collection. However, the DC sequel failed to live up to even the low expectations, and audience response indicates that it may not be able to improve its financial fortunes.

Relatives
James Gunn announces the first animated film of the studios DC and Warner Bros. Pictures
James Gunn happily announced that the next film from DC Studios will be “a mix of animation, puppetry and CGI”.
Joker 2 opened with an estimated domestic total of $40 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter , even projections of $50 million to $60 million were lowered over the weekend, but “most competing studios” still estimated Joker 2 would have finished its opening weekend between $45 million and $47 million. For now Joker 2The film debuted overseas with $81.1 million, bringing its worldwide total to $121.1 million, a number that still trails the first film's $248.4 million worldwide opening. The variant notes that the sources are familiar Joker 2assessment of finances the film needs to make $450 million to break even.
Joker 2 also suffers from bad reviews. While the first Joker had its fair share of critics who weren't as impressed as others, it still received a 68% Rotten Tomatoes critic score compared to Joker 2is 33%. However, the audience reacted more positively to the first one Joker film, giving it an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, they were just as harsh as the critics Joker 2 giving the sequel a score of 31%. Joker 2 also received a D on CinemaScore, the lowest rating for a comic book film. This bad word of mouth probably contributed Joker 2failed box office debut. According to THR, Warner Bros. “stunned and very disappointed.” Joker 2box office results. However, the studio reportedly believes Joker 2 director Todd Phillips is “a creative genius and worth the gamble.” THR also notes that Joker 2 still hopes to become an Oscar contender, “especially for the roles of Phoenix and Gaga.”
Fans will likely continue to debate why Joker 2 fails at the box office despite the record-breaking success of its predecessor. After all, bad reviews didn't stop the movie from becoming a blockbuster at the box office earlier. It is possible Joker 2The controversial ending, which was leaked on the eve of the release, devastated already skeptical moviegoers. Maybe the first Joker the film was lightning in a bottle that was always impossible to return. Some may object Joker worked well as a standalone film and a sequel was unnecessary, even with the intriguing addition of Lady Gaga as fan-favorite Harley Quinn. Interpretation of some reviews may not help Joker 2 critical of those who enjoyed the first film or at least found it related to Arthur Fleck, which may have turned off fans of the original.
Regardless of the reason, Joker 2 continued Warner Bros.' DC's unfortunate streak of failures, potentially adding even more pressure to James Gunn's upcoming DC Universe reboot to hit box office gold when Superman debuts in theaters next summer.
Joker: Folie à Deux now playing in theaters.

Joker
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker acts as an origin story for Batman's most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a failed clown trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don't go as planned and Arthur feels that Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur incites a violent revolution in the city. “Phoenix” stars Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro and Francis Conroy.

more
DC should avoid the Sony Spider-Verse trap with its Bane/Deathstroke movie
Like Sony, DC Studios is looking to give two of its villains their own movie, but will DC be able to avoid the same mistakes Sony made with its Spider-Verse?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety