Even With Lady Gaga, ‘Joker 2’ Will Struggle to Match 2019’s ‘Joker’ in Box Office Debut
variety.comRebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter In 2019, “Joker” became an improbable box office smash and cultural juggernaut.
Sure, the R-rated crime drama was based on the ubiquitous Batman villain. But this take on the Clown Prince of Crime was darker and more disturbing than your average comic book adaptation — more akin to Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” than the DC anti-hero adventure “The Suicide Squad.” Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” beat the odds (and controversy over security concerns) to generate $1.07 billion in worldwide ticket sales against a trim $55 million budget.
After the Warner Bros. release became one of the most profitable superhero movies in history and earned 11 Oscar nominations, a sequel was all but destined.
Yet the second film, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opens in theaters on Friday, may not get the last laugh. The follow-up, bringing back Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and introducing Lady Gaga as his accomplice Harley Quinn, is tracking to collect $50 million to $65 million from 4,100 North American theaters in its box office debut.
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