Joker: Folie à Deux’s Final Box Office Total Is So Much Lower Than The Original Movie
I can’t believe that the final box office numbers for Joker: Folie à Deux are so much lower than 2019’s original Joker movie. Todd Phillips’ 2024 follow-up to his smash-hit DC Elseworlds movie, set outside the main DC Universe, marked the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comic and clown who finds himself imprisoned after embarking on a killing spree as Joker. Despite my opinion, however, Folie à Deux was met with heavy criticism, with many feeling disappointed that Arthur Fleck didn’t let loose as the Joker.
Joker broke major box office records following its release in October 2019, earning many accolades, including two Academy Awards, and grossing over $1.079 billion globally. Joker: Folie à Deux, on the other hand, has not matched this level of success. The sequel earned a total of $206.4 million at the global box office, roughly a fifth of what the original Joker movie achieved five years prior.
A variety of factors contributed to the poor commercial performance of Joker: Folie à Deux, including the movie’s division of audiences and the billings of the movie musical. Despite being available for home purchase, the movie will hit streaming service Max on Friday, December 13, 2024, which could be a huge advantage to the movie, as viewers previously put off by poor reviews can finally see it for themselves.
Joker: Folie à Deux may have been doomed from the start, but releasing it early on streaming means that viewers can finally form their own opinions about the movie. Whether more viewers agree with the consensus that the movie is disappointing or realize that it actually isn’t as bad as the early criticisms and hate led many to believe, remains to be seen. Unfortunately, this won’t impact the movie’s total box office numbers, which will ultimately be damning for Todd Phillips’ Joker franchise.