One of the most notorious sequels of 2024 is coming to streaming. And given that so many people who saw the original film skipped in theaters, I imagine a lot of people will be curious to check it out at home.
It’s Joker: Folie à Deux, of course, the strange sequel to DC’s massive 2019 hit that offered a new origin story to Batman’s signature nemesis. In this universe, the Joker is Arthur Fleck (played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely and mistreated man who just wants to be a stand-up comedian, but finds his dreams stymied at every corner. His life gets so bad he loses his grip on reality and becomes a killer — and a cult figure in Gotham City.
In the sequel — which was directed, like the original Joker, by Todd Phillips — Arthur is at Arkham Asylum awaiting trial, when he meets a fan named Lee (Lady Gaga), who is this universe’s version of Harley Quinn. They make a connection at Arkham, that begins to take on sinister dimensions as Joker: Folie à Deux turns into a bizarre courtroom drama all about the events of the first film. Also: It was a musical!
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It really was bizarre; a sequel that seemed to put its predecessor (and its controversial anti-hero) on trial. It was certainly a bold choice, but one that largely did not connect with critics or audiences. The film got bad reviews and it grossed a fraction of what the original made in theaters. According to some reports, Warner Bros. stood to lose something like $200 million on the movie.
As I wrote in my review of the film, it almost felt like Phillips designed the movie to be hated…
…Given the film’s venomous attitude toward the viewer, withholding those kind of superficial pleasures might be by design. It’s hard not to admire the perversity of all of these choices, as well as Phillips’ refusal to absolve himself or his film — especially if, as it’s been reported, Phillips convinced Warner Bros. to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million on a film that borderline trolls anyone who loved Joker. Folie à Deux sums itself up in a line Joker says to Harley during one of their production numbers. ‘I get the sneaking suspicion,” he tells her, “we’re not giving the people what they want.’
But if you decided to stay away in theaters because of the poor reviews and word of mouth you’ll have another change to see it in a matter of days. Joker: Folie à Deux begins streaming on Max on December 13.
Why Did ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Flop So Badly?
Joker grossed $1 billion and became a massive smash. The sequel, from many of the same creators, is looking like one of the costliest sequels ever. So what went wrong?
