The opening for Warner Bros’ <a href="https://time.news/come-on-lets-get-out-of-here-the-first-trailer-introduces-the-anticipated-movie-joker-2-2024-04-10-073024/" title="Come on, let's get out of here. The first trailer introduces the anticipated movie Joker 2
– 2024-04-10 07:30:24″>Joker: Folie à Deux was even lower at $37.8M this weekend versus the $40M that the studio reported yesterday morning. Sunday came in at $6.2M, reflecting a significant drop of -45% off Saturday’s $11.3M. The movie’s production costs exceeded $190M before print and advertising expenses.
Internationally, the film performed better with an $81.1M take; however, similar to its domestic performance, the prospects do not look promising. As previously discussed, the studio greenlit filmmaker Todd Phillips’ vision for the sequel at a much higher price, exceeding $190M, which is 171% more than the original 2019 movie’s budget of $70M, which had two co-financiers, Village Roadshow and the then Bron. In contrast, Joker 2 partnered with just one co-financier, Domain, holding a 25% stake.
As one industry veteran noted, low CinemaScores often indicate that audiences feel misled by marketing tactics. A notable example is the promotional image of Joker and Harley dancing on the stairs, which does not appear in the film. Movie studios often downplay the true nature of a film’s genre in marketing materials, leading to audience disappointment. Critics have debated whether Joker 2 can be classified as a musical; despite its inclusion of songs, singing, and dancing, many attendees voiced their displeasure during a screening in Century City on Saturday. Furthermore, data reveals that the bottom 40% of theaters for Joker 2 accounted for only 5% of the film’s gross revenue.
Despite any creative intentions from Phillips, this sequel does not align with what general audiences were expecting.
Saturday’s earnings fell sharply compared to Friday and previews’ total of $20.3M. This substantial decline was accompanied by negative critical reception, resulting in a D CinemaScore, a half-star rating from Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak, and a low Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 31%, even lower than the critics’ score of 33%.
Joker 2 is projected to earn significantly less than the original film’s opening weekend, which currently holds the record for the highest domestic opening in October at $96.2M.
Screambox
What’s in store for weekend two? Will Joker 2 maintain its lead despite projections suggesting a drop to $9M-$10M? In a comparable situation, The Marvels, which opened with a low $46.1M last November, plummeted by -78% in its second weekend, earning just $10.1M. This weekend, Joker 2 will face competition from Sony’s wide release of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, Iconic Events’ Terrifier 3, projected to earn around $9M, and Focus Features’ Piece by Piece, expected to reach $4M.