“Joker: Folie à Deux” was primed to be another twisted comic book smash. Instead, the sequel to 2019’s billion-dollar hit “Joker” is a box office disaster.
So far, the offbeat musical about Batman’s notorious foe has grossed $51.5 million domestically and $165 million globally after two weeks of release. By comparison, the first “Joker” had generated $96.2 million domestically and $248.4 million globally after three days of release. The sequel won’t earn anywhere near that much by the end of its theatrical run, with ticket sales projected to stall at a lifetime gross of $65 million domestically and $210 million to $215 million globally when “Folie à Deux” leaves the big screen.
That’s a huge problem because “Joker 2” cost $200 million to produce and roughly $100 million to market and distribute. At this rate, the film won’t get anywhere close to the $450 million needed to break even in its theatrical run (ticket sales are split between studios and theater owners). Sources at Warner Bros. say the movie will break even at $375 million. After critics and audiences flat out rejected the big-budget tentpole, which received a 33% “rotten” average on Rotten Tomatoes and a rare “D” grade on CinemaScore, it’s shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest catastrophes. It’s now poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run, according to the estimates of insiders as well as three rival executives with knowledge of similar productions. One source speculates the film will end up losing its backers just north of $200 million, while another believes the damages may be closer to $125 million.
