The new musical/courtroom drama from director Todd Phillips “Joker: Folie à Deux” is an unexpected critical and commercial failure. Actor Joaquin Phoenix and musician/actress Lady Gaga are at the helm of Phillips’s movie, the sequel to 2019’s “Joker.” Phoenix reprises his titular role of madman Arthur Fleck, better known as the Joker, but Gaga is a series addition, adopting the role of Lee Quinzel, a new take on the DC Comics character Harley Quinn.
Debuting at the Venice Film Festival (where the 2019 original won the top prize) to negative reviews, interest in the sequel showed signs of decline from its original announcement. When it came time for its opening weekend, “Folie à Deux” amassed $37.8 million. While this wouldn’t be a small amount for most other films, it is comparatively less than “Joker,” which made $96.2 million in the same amount of time.
The budget was almost four times the original’s, with a reported price of $200 million compared to the first’s $55 million. The film then suffered an 80% drop in sales during its second week, earning $7.1 million. Trends show the film will not reach the heights of the original’s $1 billion worldwide gross.
The film received a CinemaScore, a trusted audience-based rating system, of D, the lowest of any comic book movie ever made. Critics have stated that the film is “dull,” “lacks plot,” and is “insulting” to fans of the original movie.
Special Education Paraeducator Mr. Troy Gardner saw the movie opening weekend and stated it didn’t quite stack up to its predecessor.
“[The] first one dealt with social class, economic class, and mental health,” Gardner stated. “This one was more or less a courtroom drama which seemed kind of lost. It didn’t have the same impact.”
The genre switch from drama to musical also caused controversy for many fans, with the musical potential of Gaga not being used to its full effect. The film’s soundtrack features covers of classic jazz songs, sung by Phoenix and Gaga throughout its 2-hour and 18-minute runtime. Critics have said the songs are not sung particularly well, with Gaga making herself sound worse to fit the character, and that they don’t help progress the story in any meaningful way. Leading up to the film’s release, Gaga released a companion album entitled “Harlequin.” It also includes jazz covers (many of the songs being alternate versions of the ones in the film) as well as an original track, “Happy Mistake.”
English Teacher Mrs. Jennifer Marks, who teaches film as a unit in her 9th grade Humanities Criticism class, said musicians like Gaga starring in films should not be looked down upon.
“I think it’s totally fine. I think it’s good to bring in customers, to sell tickets, and why not?” said Marks. “It adds a layer to Lady Gaga’s character. It shows her her range.”
The film’s presumed Oscar chances have seemingly been lessened due to the mass critical opinion. Phoenix and Gaga are both Oscar holders, the former for Best Actor in “Joker” and the latter for the Best Original Song “Shallow” in the film “A Star Is Born.”
The film received an early Video On Demand (VOD) release after its theater failure. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is now available to buy and rent at home.
