Joker: Folie à Deux just set a box office record – for all the wrong reasons

Joker: Folie à Deux is reportedly making history, but not in the way studio executives hoped for.

The sequel to Todd Philips’ infamous comic book adaptation, Joker, reached UK theatres on 2 October 2024 to a mediocre reception and plummeting box office revenue.

The musical/thriller sequel to the hit 2019 film stars Joaquin Phoenix, playing the titular protagonist, also known as Arthur Fleck, and Lady Gaga playing Arkham Asylum resident Harley Quinn.

Critics widely panned the film as “dramatically inert” and a “tiresome, tedious experience,” resulting in a disappointing 33 per cent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Joker: Folie a Deux’s second box office weekend proved to be just as painful, with the film’ losing enough ‘s box office earnings plummeting enough to make history.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film received a second-weekend revenue estimate of $7 million from 4,102 theatres – a whopping 81 per cent decline.

Thanks to its plummeting earnings, the film has now overtaken The Marvels as the biggest comic book movie decline for a second-weekend in history, with the latter film reaching a 78 per cent decline.

Joker: Folie à Deux also now holds the record for the worst drop in history for a film that has opened in more than 2,000 locations.

Its theatrical decline is so significant that Folie a Deux is behind Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, despite the fact that the Tim Burton film is already available to rent at home.

The film is estimated to gross just over $7 million from 2,408 locations, meanwhile grossing over $275 million domestically.

It has also suffered overseas, with Joker: Folie a Deux earning just $22.7 million from 77 markets outside of the US, reaching a totally of $165.3 million globally.

Comparatively, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has received over $400 million globally, reaching $420 million as of Sunday (13 October).

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