Dec 24, 2024 11:48 am IST
The sequel to the billion-dollar hit, the film became the biggest flop of 2024, ending a franchise altogether.
2024 was the year of remakes, sequels and franchises in Hollywood. Each of the top 10 highest-grossing American films of the year was either a sequel, a remake, or part of a series. And yet, the sequel to the billion dollar movie became the biggest flop of the year. Despite many critics praising the film, its fate at the box office was controversial, with many of the original fans dismissing it outright. ,Also read: Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker 2 performs disappointingly at the US box office after a flop opening,
Biggest box office bomb of 2024
Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019’s critically acclaimed blockbuster Joker, ended up as the biggest disappointment at the box office. Joker 2 was made on a production budget of $190–200 million. According to The Guardian, the film required additional investment in marketing and promotion and required over $400 million to break even. Ultimately, the film grossed only $206 million worldwide, less than a fifth of what Part 1 had earned five years earlier. Outlets such as Variety have placed Joker 2’s box office loss in the range of $150–200 million.
How badly Joker: Folie à Deux performed at the box office can be gauged from the dramatic 81% drop in its earnings in its second weekend. It lost to Terrifier 3, an indie horror film made on a budget of only $2 million. By the third weekend, the DC film had fallen out of the top five grossing films of the week.
Why Joker: Folie a Deux crashed and burned
There are many theories as to why Joker 2 could not repeat the success of the original. The film brought back Joaquin Phoenix to reprise the role for which he won an Oscar. Lady Gaga came to play the role of Harley Quinn, the Joker’s flame. But during production, reports emerged that director Todd Phillips talked DC and Warner Bros. executives out of the film. The Guardian reported that Phillips refused test screenings and changed the character of Arthur from ‘Joker’ to a prequel. This, along with the film’s musical style, apparently turned off the film’s core comic book fanbase, who stayed away from theaters. Word of mouth was largely negative, leading to a further decline in earnings and ultimately very low collections.
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