If your idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day is watching chaos unfold, then Joker: Folie à Deux is now streaming on Max, allowing you to watch the ultimate anti-love story to satisfy your morbid curiosity over one of the most unloved movies of the last 12 months. Released theatrically in October 2024, the much-hyped sequel to Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar hit Joker quickly spiraled into one of the year’s most divisive and unromantic dramas. While the original film actually won an Oscar for Phoenix's portrayal of Arthur Fleck, the reception for the follow-up wasn't exactly warm.
Adding Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn seemed like a surefire recipe for success, but instead of delivering the gritty, award-worthy sequel fans had imagined, Phillips took a massive creative swing by combining courtroom drama, musical numbers, and surreal fantasy and, as a result, the film missed the mark entirely for most audiences who were baffled by what they were watching. Suffice to say, word of mouth was pretty bad. Despite the star power of Phoenix and Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux opened to dreadful reviews, settling at a “rotten” 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and box office totals reflected that as well.
The sequel grossed just $206 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million, making it a catastrophic loss for Warner Bros., with insiders estimating the studio could lose around $200 million. In the aftermath, Phillips confirmed he has no plans to return to the DC universe for a third Joker film or any spin-offs centered on Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn. This all sounds like the perfect hate watch for a Valentine's Day night, doesn't it?
Is 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Really That Bad?
Well, as stated, the write-ups were not exactly cream of the crop. In his review, Collider’s Martin Tsai wrote:
Phillips had one job, which was to recreate the jittery cringe of the original Joker to capitalize on the commercial and awards successes. A middling courtroom tale and half-baked musical is not the kind of victory lap anyone wants. Your best bet is to go rewatch The People’s Joker and pretend this never happened.
Still, every day is Christmas Eve if you're an optimist, so why not take the plunge, put on some face paint, set something on fire and watch Joker: Folie à Deux on Max?
The movie is streaming now, alongside a host of others. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates on all your favorite movies and series.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Release Date October 4, 2024
Runtime 138 Minutes
Franchise(s) Joker
English (US) ·