Following a controversial release, Joker: Folie à Deux's final box office earnings were so underwhelming that they were beaten by 10 other infamous DC movies. After Joker broke records by becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time in 2019 (a record broken five years later by Deadpool & Wolverine), Joker: Folie à Deux flipped the script completely. Some fans of the original movie felt cheated by the culmination of Arthur Fleck's story, while others felt the musical sequences to be jarring and the pacing of the movie to be far more sluggish than its predecessor.
As a result, Joker: Folie à Deux has joined the ranks of the lowest-rated DC movies. It is far from the most universally panned, however, which is an accolade typically given to such movies as 1997's Steel and 2004's Catwoman, although these movies boast worldwide box office numbers that reflect their poor receptions ($1,686,429 and $82,078,046, respectively). Unfortunately for Joker: Folie à Deux, even a handful of lower-rated DC movies boast far larger box office results, as do some of the more divisive DC movies.
Joker 2's Box Office Is Beaten By 10 Infamous DC Movies
4 Of Them Are Lower-Rated
Joker: Folie à Deux ultimately grossed $206,117,925 at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers, and has earned 32% from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Against a reported production budget of $190 million, this means that Joker: Folie à Deux was a certified flop, counteracting the unprecedented success of its predecessor. It is also significantly outstripped by ten other DC movies that have gained a certain measure of notoriety throughout DC's cinematic history.
Controversial DC Movies That Grossed More Than Joker: Folie à Deux
Infamous DC Movie
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Global Box Office
Batman & Robin
12%
$238,317,814
Green Lantern
25%
$219,535,492
Suicide Squad
26%
$745,744,980
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
29%
$872,395,091
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
33%
$433,845,564
Black Adam
39%
$390,455,088
Justice League
39%
$655,945,209
Batman Forever
41%
$336,529,144
Man of Steel
57%
$667,999,518
The Flash
63%
$266,550,332
Batman & Robin takes the crown as the most universally panned DC movie that earned more than Joker: Folie à Deux, an unfortunate accolade worsened by the fact it would amount to around $468 million today when adjusted for inflation. The highest-grossing DC movies on the list, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, were among the DCEU's earliest blockbusters, which makes their large take-homes more explicable. Meanwhile, while The Flash is the least criticized of DC's worst-rated, the fact it only outshone Joker: Folie à Deux by $60 million is indicative of declining enthusiasm in the DCEU at the time.
Why Joker 2's Box Office Is Lower Than Some Of DC's More Infamous Movies
Some Believe Joker: Folie à Deux Retconned Joker
Abysmal word of mouth significantly hamstrung Joker: Folie à Deux upon release. This was magnified by social media, something which earlier movies like Batman & Robin Batman Forever were blissfully invulnerable to. Still, the fact that Green Lantern and, more pertinently, Suicide Squad could beat Joker: Folie à Deux despite being rated significantly worse and lambasted online speaks to a deeper problem that the Joker sequel faced - a problem that many believe was self-imposed.
The sequel to Joker has caused a great deal of controversy, and audiences do not seem to be responding positively to the new film at all.
Joker was a cultural phenomenon, as illustrated by its incredible box office. Many fans of the original movie therefore felt insulted by the sequel as it ran roughshod over this Joker's established origins, as Arthur Fleck meekly renounces the mantle during the climax before being killed by an unnamed inmate who seemingly steals the mantle for himself. The visceral reaction swiftly went viral and dissuaded all too many from witnessing Joker: Folie à Deux for themselves.
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker's lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
Release Date October 4, 2024
Runtime 138 Minutes
CastJoaquin Phoenix , Lady Gaga , Brendan Gleeson , Catherine Keener , Zazie Beetz , Steve Coogan , Harry Lawtey , Leigh Gill , Jacob Lofland , Sharon Washington , Troy Fromin , Bill Smitrovich , John Lacy , Ken Leung
Custom image by Ollie Bradley
English (US) ·