Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Todd Phillips, earned $7 million in previews last night, signaling a possible $50 million opening weekend. While this figure is promising—comparable to other big titles like Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning ($7M), No Time to Die ($6.3M), and John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum ($5.9M)—it marks a significant drop from the first Joker movie, which made $13.3 million in previews. Despite this, the film is poised for a strong opening at the box office.
A Steep Drop from the Original Joker’s Opening
The original 2019 Joker was a cultural phenomenon, with its $13.3 million preview earnings mushrooming to a $96.2 million opening, the biggest October domestic debut of all time. Joker: Folie à Deux, however, was expected to face a more subdued reception, especially given its pivot to a musical format and the addition of Lady Gaga alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Early reviews suggested that the sequel might not capture the same magic, and the preview earnings reflect that expectation, with a 47% drop from the first film.
For comparison, these early audience reactions are similar to last week’s Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s $120 million dystopian epic, which earned a similarly low 45% audience rating on its first night before settling with a one-star rating on PostTrak. With only 24% of viewers saying they would recommend Joker 2 to their friends and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of just 37%, Joker 2 may struggle to maintain momentum.
The critical response to Joker: Folie à Deux has also been mixed, with reviews on Rotten Tomatoes dropping from 62% fresh to 39% rotten, a steep decline that mirrors audience sentiment. This puts the film in a precarious position heading into its opening weekend. Comparisons are already being drawn to The Marvels, which had $6.6 million in previews and ended up with a disappointing $46.1 million opening, the lowest for any Marvel Studios film.
Weekend Prospects and Box Office Standing
Despite the challenges, Joker 2’s $7 million preview earnings are still $400,000 higher than The Marvels, suggesting that the film could reach the $50 million mark. But its future beyond opening weekend remains uncertain, especially given the poor word-of-mouth and lukewarm reception.
Other films in the box office landscape are holding their own, including Wild Robot from Universal, which led with $2 million on Thursday, bringing its weekly total to $45 million. Warner Bros.’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice earned $972,000 on Thursday, bringing its total to $255 million after four weeks. Meanwhile, Transformers One added $602,000, and Speak No Evil brought in $287,000. The performance of these films further underscores the competitive environment Joker 2 faces as it moves into the weekend.
While Joker: Folie à Deux is on track for a respectable $50 million opening, it’s clear that the film faces an uphill battle with both critics and audiences. Early reactions suggest that the film’s unique musical approach may not resonate as strongly as its predecessor, and with fan enthusiasm tempered, it remains to be seen whether Joker 2 can hold its own in the long run.
