‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Struggles at Domestic Box Office with $40M Opening Weekend on $200M Budget

Things are getting out of hand for Joker: Folie à Deux. The film is underperforming in theaters, earning $40M in its domestic box office opening weekend from 4,102 locations. This is lower than The Marvels and The Flash, making it one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

As a relief for Joker: Folie à Deux, the film grossed $81.1M internationally. Notable debuts by international markets include the U.K. with $8.0M, Germany at $6.9M, Italy with $5.6M, Mexico at $5.5M, followed by France at $5.0M, Brazil at $4.7M, South Korea with $3.7M, and both Australia and Spain at $3.1M each. On IMAX screens, Joker: Folie à Deux has grossed an estimated $10.0M globally through Sunday, with $5.0M from domestic markets and $5.0M from international. The budget for Joker: Folie à Deux was $200M.

Joker: Folie à Deux received 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.3/10 on IMDb, 48% on Metacritic, and a D on CinemaScore—the lowest score ever for a comic book film.

Directed by Todd Phillips—from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver—the film is loosely based on DC Comics characters. It is the sequel to Joker (2019) and stars Joaquin Phoenix—reprising his role as the titular character—with Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn.

In Joker: Folie À Deux, Arthur Fleck Phoenix (Phoenix) is institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.

The cast of Joker: Folie à Deux includes Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker, Gaga as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, Brendan Gleeson as Jackie Sullivan, Catherine Keener as Maryanne Stewart, Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, Steve Coogan as Paddy Meyers, Harry Lawtey as Harvey Dent, Leigh Gill as Gary Puddles, Ken Leung as Dr. Victor Liu, Jacob Lofland as Ricky Meline, Bill Smitrovich as Judge Herman Rothwax, and Sharon Washington as Debra Kane.

Produced by Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, and Joseph Garner, with production companies including DC Studios, Domain Entertainment, and Joint Effort.

Joker: Folie À Deux is now playing in theaters. Recently, the release date for the film’s digital streaming has been confirmed.