'Joker: Folie à Deux' Box Office Stumble of $40 Million USD Opening Is No Laughing Matter
After earning the lowest CinemaScore ever by a comic book film.
Warner Bros.‘ bet on another DC Comics sequel falls flat with Joker: Folie à Deux. After earning a the lowest ever score for a comic book film, a “D” on CinemaScore, the negative reactions have informed its $40 million USD opening weekend stat.
This past weekend, Deadline quoted from one movie marketing vet about Warner Bros.’ bold swing at the Joker sequel, “This isn’t a box office marketplace problem, this is a creative development problem.” With a net production cost of over $190 million USD, the opening weekend hits way below forecast at $39 million USD with Warner Bros. reporting $40 million USD early Sunday morning. However, the studio projects that overseas, the film earned $80 million USD and is coming up on a $81.1 million USD opening to total $121.1 million USD worldwide. It still misses the $140 million USD forecast mark nonetheless.
Those betting on Joker: Folie à Deux to be a cash cow would be sorely mistaken, earning one of the lowest sequel openings to a major franchise comic book film. It even falls below Marvel Studios‘ bomb last fall at $46.1 million USD. While numbers are low, this is not the lowest opening for a DC film. Josh Brolin’s western Jonah Hex from 2010 had a $5.3 million USD opening. On Friday, Joker: Folie à Deux had $20 million USD in sales including previews but by Saturday, it dropped 45% to $11.4 million USD. Lady Gaga nor Joaquin Phoenix‘s star power could save the film. The two barely did any press for the film and had minimal interaction with fans. It remains to be seen how the film will do moving forward while still in theaters.
