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Joker 2 sets a historic new low for comic book movies

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Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix hold microphones in Joker 2.
Warner Bros. Pictures

Joker: Folie à Deux has officially fallen farther than any other comic book movie in at least one noteworthy metric.

The hype surrounding the once highly anticipated sequel to 2019’s Joker has been on a steady decline ever since the initial, lukewarm reactions to it started to come following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in early September. A month later, the film has received largely negative reviews from both critics and casual viewers alike. It is also expected to fall short in its first weekend of its predecessor’s $96 million box office opening.

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On top of all of that, Joker: Folie à Deux has now reportedly earned a D CinemaScore. That means the Joker sequel has officially surpassed 2015’s infamously bad Fantastic Four, which earned a C- grade as the lowest-rated comic book movie in CinemaScore history.

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For comparison’s sake, Joker acquired a B+ rating when it was released in 2019. Sony’s Madame Web, furthermore, recorded a C+ grade when it was released to overwhelmingly scathing reviews earlier this year.

Arthur and Lee dance on a fake rooftop in Joker 2.
Warner Bros. Pictures

A few months ago, it would have seemed outlandish to suggest that Joker: Folie à Deux would perform this badly with moviegoers. But that’s not the case anymore. The sequel, which builds from where Joker left off by incorporating elements from both the musical and courtroom genres, was already shaping up in recent weeks to be one of 2024’s least-liked films. Its historically low CinemaScore rating and lackluster box office opening only confirm the validity of that projection.

It is still a bit surprising to see Joker: Folie à Deux fall so short of its predecessor in nearly every measurable way. The first Joker surprised everyone by not only earning over $1 billion at the box office but also multiple Academy Award nominations and a few wins. Joaquin Phoenix even took home the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for his lead performance as Arthur Fleck.

Warner Bros. no doubt hoped that Folie à Deux would be able to, at the very least, come close to replicating its parent film’s success, but that’s looking less and less likely every day.

Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in theaters.

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Alex Welch
Alex Welch
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Alex is a writer and critic who has been writing about and reviewing movies and TV at Digital Trends since 2022. He was…
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