Joker 2 Tracking to Open Within Range of The Flash and The Marvels at the Box Office

As a cinephile who has witnessed the rise and fall of many cinematic juggernauts, I must admit, I am not amused by the projected performance of “Joker: Folie ? Deux” at the box office. With its predecessor breaking records and reaching unprecedented heights, this sequel seems to have fallen victim to a case of the yips.

The sequel to “Joker,” titled “Folie ? Deux,” is not expected to bring smiles to box office earnings. With negative reviews and poor audience feedback, the movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in a jukebox musical and courtroom drama genre is predicted to have a lower-than-expected opening when it premieres on October 4th. According to predictions from Box Office Theory, “Joker 2” may earn between $44 million and $57 million at U.S. theaters this weekend, showing in approximately 4,000 cinemas. Early forecasts suggested a potential earnings of $70 million, but recent updates have lowered that estimate to between $50 million and $60 million. This would be around half of the $96 million earned by the first film when it set the record for the biggest October opening in 2019.

According to Box Office Theory predictions, if Joker 2 earns less than $60 million during its opening weekend, it would match the second weekend earnings of the original Joker ($55.8 million), which ranks as the eighth-highest October gross in movie history. If it manages a higher figure of $57 million, that would fall short of Black Adam’s October 2022 box office collection of $67 million, despite both films having comparable Rotten Tomatoes ratings (Black Adam’s 39% versus Joker 2’s 40% “rotten”).

If the minimum estimates for “Joker 2” are accurate, it might struggle to outperform films like “The Flash,” which initially earned $55 million but ultimately grossed $266 million worldwide, as well as “The Marvels,” which underperformed with a global total of $199 million following a low opening weekend of $46 million. Unfortunately, reaching the billion-dollar mark appears to be unattainable for “Joker 2.” It may join other movies that failed to meet expectations despite their predecessors achieving this milestone, such as “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (2016), the sequel to “Captain Marvel” (“The Marvels”), and the upcoming film “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (2023).

The sequel to “Joker,” titled “Joker 2,” is projected to launch with a global opening of approximately $140 million, as per Deadline, despite an estimated production cost of $190 million. This is significantly lower than the almost $250 million worldwide weekend gross that the original 2019 “Joker” earned. Interestingly, the first R-rated film to surpass the billion-dollar mark was this movie with a budget of $70 million. Until the summer release of Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it held the title of highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The original “Joker” reportedly generated a profit of around $437 million for its production partners Warner Bros. Pictures, Bron Creative, and Village Roadshow Pictures, with a total box office of $1.079 billion.

In the upcoming movie “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Joaquin Phoenix portrays Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga plays Harleen “Lee” Quinzel. Joining this star-studded cast are Brendan Gleeson, known for his role in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as Jackie Sullivan; Catherine Keener from “Get Out” as Maryanne Stewart; Zazie Beetz, famous for her role in “Deadpool 2,” as Sophie Dumond; Steve Coogan, best recognized from the “Alan Partridge” comedies, as Paddy Meyers; and Harry Lawtey, who recently appeared in “The Pale Blue Eye,” as Harvey Dent. This highly anticipated film will be screening exclusively in theaters starting this Friday.

2024-10-04 00:40

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