The global box office numbers for “Joker: Folie a Deux” have been disclosed, showing significant losses for Warner Bros. The musical film with Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn had a divisive reception, with most critics and audiences rating it poorly, despite some industry support like Quentin Tarantino’s.
It grossed $206 million globally against a $200 million budget, and when factoring in around a $100 million marketing budget, it’s likely a $150 million loss for the studio. It’s set to debut on Max on December 13 and HBO the following night.
What the box office numbers mean is that it didn’t come close to being profitable as it needed to cover not just the production budget but also marketing costs and theater cuts.
Director Todd Phillips seemed to be making a statement rather than focusing on bankability. This alienated many fans and casual moviegoers compared to the highly profitable first film, and its unconventional musical sequences didn’t help win over new audiences either, resulting in the poor box office performance.
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