Todd Phillips Declares He’s “Done” with DC After ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Premiere

Today marks the official premiere of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ but many fans got an early look at the film during its debut at the Venice Film Festival a month prior to its theatrical release.

Unfortunately, the initial reactions have been largely negative. Leading up to the release, there was skepticism about Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Harley Quinn and concerns over the film being labeled a “musical,” despite Todd Phillips’s assertions to the contrary (It’s definitely a musical).

The social media reactions have been overwhelmingly negative, with the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score steadily declining. Currently, it stands at a 39% approval rating from critics (down from 48% yesterday) and a 38% rating from audiences.

When you factor in the low projected opening box office numbers, it’s shaping up to be a disaster, especially given the success of the first film.

Here are some of the reviews:

If Folie à Deux were just a demented musical romance, it could’ve been something special in a small-scale, character-driven way. Alas, Phillips is somehow convinced that these Joker movies need to Say Something Important about the state of the world.

Caroline Siede, Girl Culture

Todd Phillips has never managed to write a plausible female character. Why start now?

Wenlei Ma, The Nightly

There was little to no storyline, and more than half of the movie was singing, so it felt like I was watching a musical.

Josh

Awful do not see, every time it started to get good they would start singing

arthur fleck

The chances of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ receiving a sequel seem slim if the film maintains its current trajectory. However, this may not matter much, as Todd Phillips has stated that he is finished with the DC universe.

When asked about the possibility of a standalone film centered on Gaga’s Harley Quinn, the director quickly dismissed any such rumors:

“It’s not really where this movie is headed for me. I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two films,”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

While it’s clear that ‘Joker 3’ is off the table, similar claims were made after the release of the first film. Originally, ‘Joker’ was intended to be a standalone project, but Warner Bros. had plans for it to launch a DC Black film series.

Todd Phillips then expressed interest in developing a sequel, which officially began production in June 2022. Lady Gaga and Zazie Beetz joined the cast later that year, and principal photography took place across New York City, Los Angeles, and Belleville, New Jersey, from December 2022 to April 2023.

Now, here we are with a 39% approval rating. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!