The final weekend box office figures for Joker: Folie à Deux have been released, and they paint a grim picture. Originally projected to open with $39 million, the sequel's debut has been adjusted to $37 million. To put this into context, the Joker sequel had a lower opening than Morbius. Given the film's hefty $190-200 million budget, such numbers typically spell trouble for someone's career. However, in the case of Joker, Warner Bros. studio executives are likely to weather the storm. Instead, much of the criticism has been directed at director Todd Phillips.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Phillips was awarded $20 million to helm the film, along with 'an extraordinary level of autonomy and final cut.' This meant he had complete creative control over the project, which was not subjected to test screenings. Lead actors Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga reportedly earned $20 million and $12 million, respectively, further inflating the film's substantial budget. Phillips' decision to include musical numbers in the sequel was inspired by Phoenix's dream of turning it into a Broadway play. This tonal shift from the first movie proved highly unpopular with audiences, as Folie à Deux received a D CinemaScore—the lowest in modern comic book movie history—and was panned by critics. This likely deterred many potential viewers over the weekend.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux. Stop reading now if you don't want to know how it concludes. The ending of Folie à Deux has also sparked significant controversy, but it's an idea Phillips originally wanted to use in the first Joker film. THR reports that the conclusion would have featured Phoenix's Arthur Fleck carving a Glasgow smile into his face, similar to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan reportedly objected to this ending during his tenure at Warner Bros., but since Nolan has since departed, Phillips revisited the concept in Folie à Deux and was able to implement it this time.
It's too early to determine the full financial impact of Joker: Folie à Deux on the studio, but an early estimate suggests a loss of $150 million. Phillips does not currently have his next project lined up at Warner Bros. However, given his previous successes, the failure of Joker 2 is unlikely to prevent him from securing another film deal.
