Warner Bros. is having a rough time at the box office. Following the disappointing performance of ‘Furiosa,’ their expensive action prequel, the studio faced another blow with the lackluster opening of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ This highly anticipated sequel to the billion-dollar hit ‘Joker’ (2019) was projected to earn over $100 million in its opening weekend, but instead, it only managed to gross a meager $37.8 million over three days. This significant underperformance begs the question: what went wrong?
While a deeper analysis is for another article, the simple truth is that if a film isn’t good, and there isn’t a significant demand for it, people won’t watch it. This raises a concern for Warner Bros.: if few people were interested in seeing ‘Joker 2’ in its first weekend, what makes them think more people will turn out in the following weeks? The studio may be facing a steep decline in viewership as ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is projected to drop at least 70% in its second weekend. This trend mirrors the disastrous performance of last year’s ‘The Marvels,’ which opened with a weak $46 million and dropped a massive 78% in its second weekend, earning a paltry $10.1 million.
The situation gets even more disheartening when considering that this musical sequel, led by the talented Joaquin Phoenix, is expected to be dethroned from the top spot by a low-budget horror sequel, ‘Terrifier 3.’ This latest installment in the increasingly popular, and increasingly gory, franchise, is projected to earn at least $10 million, possibly exceeding $15 million by the end of its second weekend. This is a remarkable feat for any film, let alone a low-budget horror movie, to outshine a highly hyped studio production in its second weekend. It’s a scenario that rarely happens, and yet, it seems destined to unfold in this case.
There’s a certain poetic irony in the fact that a film about a man who transforms into a clown to gather a following of outcasts will be overtaken by a horror film starring Art the Clown, a character that resonates with the very audience that propelled the original ‘Joker’ to success in 2019. It’s a reminder that even amidst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, the audience ultimately holds the power, and sometimes, the unexpected surprises us the most.
While ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ and ‘Terrifier 3’ are playing in theaters, perhaps it’s time to revisit the classic ‘The Dark Knight’ on Max instead. It might be a safer bet than taking a gamble on these latest releases.
