Joker: Folie à Deux is reportedly coming to digital platforms as soon as the end of this month, significantly earlier than expected.
READ MORE: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ review: Lady Gaga shines in a provocative prison musical
The film endured a tough opening weekend at the box office earlier this month, drawing approximately $40million (£30.5million) domestically, which was roughly half of the equivalent of its 2019 predecessor. The figure was also well short of Warner Bros.’ original projections of $70million, and the studio was reportedly “stunned and sorely disappointed” by the results.
The film had a budget of $190million (£145million), and as reported by Variety, even after two weekends, its global intake is $165million (£126million), compared to the $248million (£190million) the first film drew after just three days.
Now, the same report claims that the film will be hitting home entertainment platforms on October 29, less than four weeks after its cinematic release. It is also confirmed for a physical release on December 17.
In a statement from Warner Bros., the studio also refutes reports that the film is set to lose the company a significant amount of money. “Any estimates suggested by anonymous ‘insiders’ or ‘rival executives’ are grossly wrong and continues a trend where rumor is reported as fact,” they said. “The film continues to play in theatrical release, included with this week’s opening in China, and will continue to earn revenue throughout its home viewing and ancillary run.”
Folie À Deux also became the first Hollywood comic book movie adaptation to earn a ‘D’ score from CinemaScore – even maligned films such as The Marvels or The Flash managed to secure a ‘B’ grade. It is also sitting on a lowly 33 per cent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 32 per cent audience score on the aggregator site.
The film catches up with Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker, while he is a patient at a mental health facility after the events of the first film, where he falls in love with Lady Gaga’s Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.
In a four-star review of Folie à Deux, NME wrote: “As with the original movie, the film looks gorgeous throughout, with cinematographer Lawrence Sher making strong use of colour and conjuring up some beautiful images – highlights include an overhead shot of some umbrellas (referencing Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg) and a stunningly lit frame of Arthur lighting a cigarette in his prison cell that resembles a lovingly illustrated comic book panel.
“In short, Phillips and Silver have delivered the last thing anyone expected: a socially responsible Joker movie that finds an intriguing way to explore the consequences (both on and offscreen) of the first film. Joker fans shouldn’t cry too hard though – Warner Bros. have cleverly found a way to leave the door open a little for the franchise to continue, should the need arise.”
In August, Phillips suggested that Folie à Deux will be the final film in his Joker franchise: “It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world.”
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