Joker: Folie a Deuxis proving to be one of those movies that delivered such high expectations that there was always a danger of it being unable to live up to them. This has certainly been the case, as the movie’sCinemaScore grading has continued to give the clown a reason to frown.
After landinga Rotten Tomatoes score that spiraled below several box office bombs, such asBorderlandsandMegalopolis, the musical sequel also dropped lower than the heavily criticizedEternals, and many of DC’s recent disasters. Currently, that score sits at 33% with both critics and audiences on the site. However, the rating from CinemaScore, which measures the reactions of early audiences leaving a viewing of the movie, has delivered a killing joke to Gotham’s Clown Prince.
In a result that would have seemed almost unthinkable asJoker: Folie à Deuxramped up its marketing campaign this past month,the film was given a rarely seen D grade from CinemaScore. Not only is this far below the B+ that 2019’sJokerattracted before going on to break box office records, but also overtakes the C- grade given to 2015’s hatedFantastic Fourmovie to make Joaquin Phoenix’s return as Arthur Fleck the worst graded comic book movie ever.
The Todd Phillips-directed Joker sequel had a lot going for it, including the benefit of a hugely successful predecessor that subverted expectations in many ways, two Oscar-winning leads, and a quirky and unique premise of being a jukebox musical combined with a gritty and dark drama. However, it seems that whatever expectations audiences had based on all of this became far too high for the film to meet.
Among some of the oft-maligned comic book movies thatJoker: Folie à Deuxhas managed to pass in its waltz to the bottom of the pile are JonahHex, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Morbius, Madame Web, and evenBatman & Robin, which all scored C+. However the movie is in some surprising company with its D score, joining cult horror movieJeepers Creepers, Wes Anderson’sThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, M. Night Shyamalan’s disappointingThe Happening, and the star-studded gross-outMovie 43.
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Over the years, audiences have paid to make more than a dozen films $1 billion hits.
What has perhaps made this worse is thatJoker: Folie à Deuxcould have possibly managed to avoid some of the disappointment if it had been tested in front of audiences, but reportedly, Warner Bros. was so confident in the film that they declined the option of testing it. While many films have been said to be ruined by test screenings, with studios being swayed to change endings and cut scenes that have later been restored in much more successful director’s cuts, the possible divisive musical elements of the project would have madeJoker: Folie à Deuxone of those movies that could have benefited greatly from an outside reaction.
As one of the studio’s most expensive movies of the year, the gamble taken onJoker: Folie à Deuxbeing able to impress audiences has so far not paid off. While the film is still set to earn around $50 million over the weekend, it seems very unlikely that it will hit or even come close to the $1 billion win of its predecessor.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
