The Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, crashed in its second weekend with a $7.1 million holdover after opening to nearly lifetime bests at the box office ($30m). According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, this potentially record-shattering 80 percent drop is the "record decline for a comic-book movie." Even though fans had been patiently waiting for the film to release (which stars Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga), its all but 60% loss at the domestic box office tells a different story about how it was perceived by viewers in resonance with whether their anticipation can be continuously maintained.
Not only has the fall from grace dethroned Joker: Folie à Deux from its dominance at the box office, but it also left an unlikely contender in the process—as independent horror movie Terrifier 3 emerged as a new competitor with an estimated $18.2 million same weekend revenue collected during that period. This surge is expected due to increasing horror demand from movie-watchers, especially at the time of fall when everyone loves an excellent chilling and scary treat. Meanwhile, the animated The Wild Robot came in second with $13.4 million, showing that family films still have an enormous appeal to moviegoers all over — or at least for one more weekend before Labor Day comes along and steamrolls through everything left standing on both plains of existence as we know them today!
Joker: Folie à Deux has received mixed reviews from critics, with some calling it "bleak and daring," while others have said that it is "depressingly dull and plodding." That two-stream critical reception would indicate why the film disintegrated on its subsequent weekend. But, with The Joker receiving critical and cultural accolades for his original outing; this type of narrative move may leave some viewers cold. And base on the fact that Lady Gaga was cast, perhaps incorporating more psychological elements to the music drama angle which maybe have changed the tone and lost some of its core audience.
The Joker sequel also comes amid a larger conversation about the evolution of comic-book cinema, box office disruptions, and more. Superhero films rarely have such long legs on the charts, historically race to big overall grosses at the box office. But Joker: Folie à Deux ostensibly represents a move away from formulaic storytelling as the consuming public signals an increased preference for authenticity and what is new. This often leaves viewers divided, as previous exposure to stories from the same genre has conditioned them to expect something filled with action and vibrant color rather than a bleak narrative such as JOKER.
The bigger picture at the box office is also enjoyable. The horror genre is still going strong, and the success of Terrifier 3 highlights a rising tide in our society where scary stories are widely satisfied. Beetlejuice fell to fourth place with $7 million, a testament that there is something out now for all filmgoers, supported by this week's release. Rounding out the top five is the Lego-adjacent comedy-drama Piece by Piece, which proves film audiences have varying tastes.
Also at the low end of new releases is a $1.6m debut caping-wearing businessmen-helmed biopic, The Apprentice, at number 10. The film has stirred up a fair bit of controversy for its sexual assault scene involving the former president, and that's precisely why it is being discussed here. Although Trump refused to sue, his subjects threatened legal action against the film amusingly premiered at Cannes and garnered decent-to-great reviews (while also receiving death threats from empurpled pro-Trumpers: "It's all garbage" said a Trumpublican spokesman; it was "riddled with pure fiction"). The movie even starts with a disclaimer on how many things have been fictionalized. Still, that link to what is happening politically right now may be too off-putting to be commercially viable.
Now even more pressing is the UK premiere of The Apprentice at the London Film Festival, which raises an interesting wrinkle into a narrative where film and politics have begun to overlap. The success, or lack thereof, of the box office is becoming increasingly diverse too, and how Joker: Folie à Deux compares with Terrifier 3 illustrates this clash and possible tear in approach as to what audiences are seeking when it comes to storytelling narratives surrounding comic-book material (shock) Brian J. Smith even believes "It's Time To Start Taking Horror Seriously."
The steep drop in Joker: Folie à Deux's box office numbers raises questions about film narrative and audience engagement. While the film industry is still acclimating to this unconventional market dynamic, what has become abundantly clear—be it dark comedy or horror—is that originality and versatility of narrative prevail among audiences seeking different brand-backed stories at scale. Hence, the changing face of cinema implies that directors can match and outwit a new wave of fickle audiences.
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