Joker: Folie à Deux Box Office Collection Reports

Joker: Folie à Deux, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2019 Joker, has hit the box office with much fanfare. However, its opening weekend and subsequent performance seem to mirror the fate of some other recent superhero films, such as The Marvels. Here’s a detailed analysis of Joker 2’s box office collection and potential trajectory, comparing it to the performance of The Marvels.

Opening Weekend: A Modest Start

Joker: Folie à Deux opened with around $37.8 million, which was an 18% drop compared to The Marvels’. Though the number is respectable, it falls short of the expectations for a sequel to such a popular and controversial film. This sets the tone for a more moderate box office performance moving forward.

Opening Weekend Numbers:

• Friday: $15 million
• Saturday: $16.6 million
• Sunday: $6.2 million
• Total: $37.8 million

First Week Performance: A Steep Decline

The first weekday numbers for Joker 2 were disappointing, showing a sharp drop-off. Much like The Marvels, the film experienced a significant Monday dip and struggled to recover throughout the week.

First Week Breakdown:

• Monday: $1.59 million (-74.3% drop from Sunday)
• Tuesday: $2.21 million (+39.1%)
• Wednesday: $1.19 million (-45.8%)
• Thursday: $837K

By the end of its first week, Joker 2 had amassed around $43.62 million—still below the opening weekend figures of The Marvels. This indicated a more challenging road ahead for Joker 2 as it began to widen the performance gap.

Second Weekend: Slower Growth

The second weekend showed some improvement in terms of weekend numbers, but Joker 2 still couldn’t shake off the slow performance of its weekdays. It saw a marginal boost on Friday and Saturday but experienced a noticeable drop on Sunday.

Second Weekend Breakdown:

• Friday: $1.84 million (+120.3%)
• Saturday: $2.97 million (+61.6%)
• Sunday: $1.93 million (-34.7%)
• Total for Second Weekend: $6.74 million
• Cumulative Total by End of Week 2: $50.3 million

By the second weekend, Joker 2 had fallen further behind The Marvels, with the gap widening to -22%. The sequel’s total stood at $50.3 million, while The Marvels had reached $64.9 million at this point.

Third Week: Continuing the Downward Trend

Entering its third week, Joker 2 began to face additional competition, which further impacted its performance. This was also the point at which The Marvels benefited from Thanksgiving, while Joker did not have any similar boosts.

Third Weekend Breakdown:

• Friday: $1.59 million
• Saturday: $1.61 million
• Sunday: $910K
• Total for Third Weekend: $4.1 million
• Cumulative Total by End of Week 3: $58 million

The gap had now widened to -24%, with The Marvels sitting at $80 million after its third weekend. Joker 2 struggled to keep up, especially as it began losing premium screens to other releases.

Week 4: Sluggish Performance Continues

The fourth week saw Joker 2 drop below $1 million in weekday numbers, further solidifying its downward trajectory. With the loss of premium screens and mounting competition, it struggled to make significant gains.

Fourth Weekend Breakdown:

• Friday: $490K
• Saturday: $880K
• Sunday: $530K
• Total for Fourth Weekend: $1.9 million
• Cumulative Total by End of Week 4: $60.8 million

At this point, the gap between Joker 2 and The Marvels had stabilized, with Joker 2 approximately 24% below the performance of The Marvels. With only a few million added from this point onward, Joker 2 would likely end its run between $64 million and $65 million, a stark contrast to the final $84.5 million gross of The Marvels.

Final Box Office Projection:

Given its performance and the comparison with The Marvels, Joker: Folie à Deux is on track to finish between $60 million and $65 million domestically. This is a far cry from the massive box office haul of the original Joker, which grossed over $335 million domestically.

Factors Affecting Joker 2’s Box Office:

• Weaker Opening: The film opened 18% lower than The Marvels, which set the tone for the rest of its run.
• Steep Weekday Drops: Much like The Marvels, Joker 2 saw significant drops on weekdays, particularly on Mondays.
• Loss of Premium Screens: As new films entered the box office, Joker 2 lost many of its premium screen slots, affecting its overall gross.
• Lack of Holiday Boost: Unlike The Marvels, Joker 2 didn’t benefit from a holiday boost, such as Thanksgiving.

Audience Reactions and The Fallout

Much of the audience’s dissatisfaction can be found in online discussions. Comments from Reddit offer insight into why Joker: Folie à Deux is floundering at the box office:

• One user commented, “Considering it’s already having bigger drops internally than The Marvels, I can easily see it doing worse than that film day to day. Under $60M is very possible.”
• Another noted the movie’s unappealing nature: “The Marvels couldn’t attract people, but Joker 2 repels them.”

There’s a growing consensus that Joker 2 might not only be a disappointment but also a potential disaster for Warner Bros. One sarcastically added: “I must apologize to Warner for saying that even the MCU makes better flops than DC.” Many wonder how long it will take before theaters start dropping the film entirely, as user Die-Hearts aptly asked, “Forget worldwide gross, how long until this movie loses theaters?”

Key Takeaways from Audience Discussions

A significant concern among fans and industry watchers is that Joker: Folie à Deux could be one of the biggest box office bombs in recent history. By most estimates, Joker: Folie à Deux needs to make north of $500 million to break even. It’s within reason that Todd Phillips will never make a movie this big again.

Some fans feel Warner Bros. made a huge misstep in approving such an experimental project that required an astronomical box office performance to be successful. As People commented: “I do not see how WB management could have allowed an auteur director to create a film that required it to be a megahit to show a profit.”

Conclusion: A Moderate Success

While Joker: Folie à Deux is far from being a box office failure, it falls significantly short of both the original Joker and The Marvels. With a final gross likely in the range of $60 million to $65 million, it’s clear that the sequel didn’t capture the same magic as its predecessor. However, with international markets still to account for and the potential for streaming success, Joker: Folie à Deux may still find profitability in other avenues.