Joker: Folie a Deux is aptly titled. Folie a deux translates to madness for two. In this case, we have the love story of Arthur Fleck (Joker) and his interest, Lee Quinzel. It is a classic tale that DC Comics has (but shouldn't) called relationship goals.
After Joker’s success, it’s not shocking that this was an anticipated movie. People loved Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. Adding Harley Quinn for the sequel made sense. Their love story is well documented and people dress up as them year-round. Sadly, like dating Joker, red flags started appearing.
People didn’t want Lady Gaga playing Harley. Later it’s revealed she'll be called Lee Quinn instead of Harley Quinn. Then it’s announced as a musical, but not a musical in the classic sense. The final straw came when there wouldn’t be a test screening. Looking back, it's no wonder Joker 2 had a disappointing opening weekend at the box office.
First, let’s acknowledge the good. Joker 2 is the No. 1 movie in the world. It beat the previously released The Wild Robot and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. According to Box Office Mojo, Joker 2 grossed $40 million domestically over the weekend. This is short of the $90 million plus the movie’s predecessor made. Nevertheless, that’s still acceptable and word of mouth could propel the project to bigger numbers as time passes.
Now we come to the negative; the critics and audience who reviewed the movie. Unlike Captain Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and The Marvels, Joker: Folie a Deux wasn’t review bombed before the project was released. The audience left reviews after the project was released. Unfortunately, neither critics nor the audience on Rotton Tomatoes enjoyed this project and IMDb’s rating isn’t good either. There’s more good news. One of the positives is the acting. Among them is Lady Gaga.
Variety says the Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer could make a play for a supporting actress award. This publicity will garner attention from moviegoers hesitant to see Joker: Folie A Deux. They'll wonder if Lady Gaga is as good as promoted and might make the trip to theaters. If enough moviegoers get curious about Lady Gaga's performance things could turn around for the DC Comics movie.
Also, never discount the people who'll see Joker: Folie A Deux because they want to see a train wreck. I've gone to theaters expecting something awful and this writer isn't the only person who's done that. However, it won't be shocking if viewers expect to see a mess and end up enjoying what they watch.
Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to see if the second-week numbers are better than the first.
Did you see Joker: Folie A Deux? Did you love it, hate it, or indifferent? We want to hear from you. You can email us at entertainment@fansided.com.