The new Joker movie, Joker: Folie a Deux, was released on October 4th, and introduced as a musical film to illustrate the chaos in Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) and Harley Quinn’s mind (played by Lady Gaga). The title, Folie à Deux, is French for mental illness shared by two people. In the new movie, Arthur Fleck struggles with his identity while locked up in Arkham Asylum. Arthur is awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker and is dealing with his two identities. He meets Harley Quinn, who becomes interested in his Joker persona.
The Jokers, after being put in the spotlight, have always faced tough reviews from critics. But even Joaquin Phoenix might not have been ready for his sequel’s cold reception on opening weekend. The movie did not perform well, which is unfortunate because Lady Gaga and Phoenix put a lot of work into their characters.
Given the monster success of Joker 1, which also scored two Oscars, it’s not surprising that Folie à Deux was greenlit and granted a bigger budget. Joker 1 made $96.2 million domestically and $248.4 million globally after three days of release. Joker 2, which was made into a musical, gained $51.5 million domestically and $165 million globally after two weeks of release. The problem with the amount that Joker 2 got is that it cost $200 million to make but only produced $100 million. The critics believe Director Todd Phillips alienated the DC fan base by incorporating song and dance numbers into the sequel, resulting in the huge difference in sales between the first and second Joker.
Joker movies generally carry an intense sense of dread from beginning to end. This dread is a result of knowing where this character is going to end up, and people are constantly waiting for him to snap. The musical aspect of the movie is supposed to show how the Joker’s mind isn’t stable and how he is relaxed when singing and dancing with Harley Quinn. The film was inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s musical One from the Heart. That musical is a love story just like the Joker, but of course minus the insanity the Joker and Harley share. Arthur not only stumbles upon love but also finds music. A musical concept is very creative, but the director went about it the wrong way, causing the movie to completely flop.
