‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Faces One of the Most Significant Week 2 Box Office Drops in History

Joker: Folie à Deux debuted last Friday to dismal reviews from both critics and audiences. The film currently boasts a mere 33% approval rating from critics and a 32% approval rating from viewers, classifying it as completely rotten.

Additionally, it received a “D” CinemaScore, the lowest recorded for any superhero film to date. However, labeling Joker 2 as a superhero movie or even a comic adaptation feels like a significant stretch.

During its opening weekend, Joker: Folie à Deux broke several unflattering records, drawing comparisons to Morbius. Initially, box office forecasts for the film looked grim, with projections for its domestic opening revised down to between $55 million and $60 million across 4,000 U.S. theaters, including IMAX and PLF screens.

Ultimately, the film managed to earn only $20 million on Friday, which included $7 million from preview screenings.

Fast forward one week, and the situation has worsened. Joker: Folie à Deux saw a dramatic decline, earning just $2.2 million on its second Friday—an 89.1% drop from its opening day, making it one of the lowest second-weekend performances for a DC film this century, according to Deadline.

For context, other films faced significant declines as well: Catwoman earned $2 million (-66.6%), Wonder Woman 1984 brought in $2.1 million (-39.6%), Shazam: Fury of the Gods raked in $2.4 million (-79.9%), Blue Beetle made $2.6 million (-73.7%), Morbius collected $2.9 million (-83.3%), and the original Joker earned $16.9 million (-57%).

As of now, Joker: Folie à Deux has a cumulative total of $46.8 million in the U.S. and is projected to earn between $6.5 million and $7.5 million during its second three-day weekend, which could result in an 80%-83% drop in box office revenue.

While the original Joker remains the most profitable comic book film ever, thanks to its low budget and strong box office performance, Joker 2 had a production cost three times higher, currently reported at $200 million. It’s anticipated to earn significantly less—possibly three times lower or more—than its predecessor throughout its theatrical run.

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