Joker: Folie à Deux had box office potential; and was certainly poised at one point to have a massive opening but success slipped through its fingers.

No Joke At The Box Office

Joker: Folie à Deux

The much-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux entered theatres with high expectations following the massive success of the original Joker (2019). That movie grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

However, the sequel has struggled to replicate the same box office magic, underperforming relative to industry projections. As per Box Office Mojo, the movie made $40 million in first place. At one point the movie was projected to make $120 million to $160 million in its opening weekend. That eventually dropped to $60 million to $80 million, and then later revised to $40 million to $60 million. Even with those revised tracking numbers, it barely got to the bottom end of that.

What Went Wrong?

Several factors may have contributed to this. Unlike its predecessor, which struck a chord at the box office for its gritty, standalone nature, Joker: Folie à Deux faces stiffer competition in an increasingly crowded superhero and comic book movie landscape. Additionally, its darker, more psychological tone may have alienated casual moviegoers expecting a more conventional superhero/comic book storyline.

Economic factors and the ongoing evolution of movie-going habits in the post-pandemic world could also have impacted its performance. Simply put, before the pandemic people went to the theaters more; but people are more inclined in a post-pandemic world to wait for something to come to streaming. This affects all movies at the box office, but Joker: Folie à Deux was certainly hit harder than others.

Despite solid critical reception, Joker: Folie à Deux‘s box office struggles suggest it may not have the same widespread cultural appeal as the first film. To put it in context, the movie opened to lower numbers than The Marvels with its $46 million opening and The Flash which opened to $55 million.

With a reported budget of $200 million, it’s highly unlikely that the movie will be considered profitable.

The Rest Of The Box Office

The Wild Robot dropped to second at the box office, grossing $18.7 million, despite a 47.8% drop, over its debut. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice went to third place with $10.32 million, a 36.4% decline, now totaling $402 million on its $100 million budget. Transformers One dropped to fourth with a 41.6% drop over last week, it made $5.35 million. Speak No Evil kept its fifth-place spot at the box office with $2.8 million.

Next Week’s Predictions

Next weekend sees the release of My Hero Academia the Movie: You’re Next, Piece By Piece, Saturday Night, and Terrifier 3.

My Hero Academia is expected to have a strong opening weekend at the box office as the movie has a loyal and dedicated fan base. The movie is expected to open to $6 million to $10 million; I respect it’ll make close to $8 million. Piece By Piece doesn’t have any tracking but with the film not being advertised much, it’s likely going to earn around $8 million to $12 million, though its performance will hinge on critical reception, which has thus far been positive. I suspect it’ll make closer to $10 million. Saturday Night is expected to make $7 million to $12 million. It has good buzz out of the festival circuit and will likely earn around $10 million at the box office. Meanwhile, Terrifier 3, continues a franchise that is building on its cult horror following; however, I don’t see it escaping cult status and making more than $5 million on its opening weekend at the box office.

Since so many movies are likely going to be making around $10 million it’ll be a tight race for sure; which is in the top spot will also depend on Joker: Folie à Deux‘s decline. If it’s more than 70% than it’ll be very close for the others. I do think the wide spread appeal of Saturday Night may take it to the top spot.

As always, we’ll find out next week!

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