Inside the 'Joker: Folly a Deux' debacle: Todd Phillips' $200 million misfire with 'Wanted Nothing to Do' DC

On Sept. 30, Lady Gaga blew kisses to fans outside the TCL Chinese Theater before the premiere of “Joker: Folly a Deux,” while Joaquin Phoenix ditched his usual solemn face and flashed a few smiles from the red carpet. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav dropped by the after-party at Sunset Tower and mingled with the film's two high-paid lead actors as meatless sliders (Vegan Phoenix's idea) made the rounds. For all the star wattage on display, there were some notable no-shows — namely, DC Studios toppers James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Insiders say the pair's glaring absence for a film based on one of the DC canon's biggest draws underscores a dysfunctional dynamic that played out behind the scenes in the ill-fated Warner Bros. musical. Todd Phillips “wanted nothing to do with DC” while making the film, says an agent familiar with the director's unique carve-out, which allowed him to avoid any scrutiny from the brand's gatekeepers. Although Gunn has publicly supported the film on social media, Phillips has distanced himself from DC. As the animated title-card sequence unspools inside the iconic Hollywood movie in the opening minutes, it becomes clear that Phillips gave DC the middle finger. There was no DC Studios logo.

“If the first movie had been about some mentally ill person in a hapless town, it might have made $150. [million] Not a billion worldwide,” says a source familiar with the inside scoop. “People have shown up because that guy was the joker.”

(A DC spokesperson downplayed any tension and said Gunn was busy directing the Max series “Peacemaker” in Atlanta, which lost a day of production due to Hurricane Helen, while Safran was sick. A Warners spokesperson notes that a DC logo will appear at the end of the Joker sequel. Phillips declined to comment for this story.)

Now that the dust has settled on the sequel's disastrous opening weekend, there's a lot of soul-searching going on in the Burbank lot. The question being asked most: Why spend $200 million — and nearly $100 million to market — a tentpole that ignores the DC fan base? And “neglect” might be putting it mildly. A Rolling Stone review of the film summed it up: “'Joker: Folly a Deux' has a message for fans: F–k yourself.”

Alas, the fanboys and fangirls stayed home, leading to a $37.7 million domestic opening for Phillips' 2019 follow-up to “Joker,” a massive success that cost just $60 million and grossed $1.1 billion. Such disregard for the base has brand repercussions. After all, the Joker is not some obscure character. Batman's foil spans the most high-profile villains in comics to date, be it DC or Marvel. But given that Phillips had produced such a highly profitable first “Joker” for Warner Bros. — not to mention three “Hangover” movies — Motion Picture Group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdi weren't about to say no to their prized director with their first green. the light

Production on the movie began in December 2022, two months after Gunn and Safran took control of DC, and many expected the pair to provide notes and feedback on the R-rated musical, especially involving capital expenditures. But Phillips dropped out and was only in touch with De Luca and Abdi. And while Gunn and Safran were on hand to screen the first directors' cut for the studio, he did little to remove the presence of friction. When asked by a Collider reporter if the production process changed after the pair replaced DC chief Walter Hamada or if they had any input, Phillips replied, “With all due respect to them, it's a Warner Bros. movie.”

Even Warner Bros.' Feedback is sometimes ignored. Sources say Zaslav met with Phillips one-on-one shortly after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April 2022 and was open to filming in Los Angeles if the director made the sequel on the cheap. (The studio preferred London, where it would cost about 20% less.) But Phillips insisted on shooting in Los Angeles, and the budget did not change. (A Warners spokesperson said the studio “supported the decision to film in Los Angeles,” and that the Zaslav-Phillips powwow was merely a meet-and-greet where they discussed what else the director wanted to make there.) Insiders say studio brass did not film Venice. The film wanted to debut at the festival as it had done with “Joker” five years earlier, but Phillips backed out. A Warners spokesperson said the studio “fully supports the decision to bring the film to Venice.”

There were other battles of wills between Phillips and the Warners. Philips refused to screen test “Joker 2”. So its premiere in Venice was the first time audiences saw it. Critics panned it, and the film earned a disastrous 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes before earning a disappointing “D” Cinemascore. To put that grade into context, the much-maligned “Madame Webb” landed a “C+” earlier this year. (A Warners spokesperson said, “Because the film contains spoilers, the studio did not want to unnecessarily reveal plot points too early to test viewers, but instead allowed moviegoers to discover the film at their own pace.”)

Making a sequel to a billion-dollar movie, whether it's “Aquaman” or “Joker,” is considered a smart bet. But with its outsized budget, which included $20 million in advance for Phoenix, $20 million for Phillips and $12 million for Gaga, the film would need to earn at least $450 million in theaters to break even — an unlikely scenario now. Warner Bros. is already on the back foot following recent money-losing series including “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and “The Color Purple.” The parent company's stock price remains in the cellar, near an all-time low of $7.67 a share.

“It's a black eye for Warner Bros.,” said Dan Ives, a Wall Street analyst at Wedbush Securities. “The timing couldn't be worse.”

“Joker: Folly a Deux” may also suffer from not having Bradley Cooper's voice on the table. Cooper, who was a producer on 2019's “Joker” and is known for his commercial work with Gaga, including his low-budget hit “A Star Is Born,” is attached to the sequel after breaking off his production partnership with Phillips in 2021. no

“No one could approach Todd,” says a source directly involved with the film. “And one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay attention to the fans' expectations, you're going to fail.”

Actually catering to the fanbase was supposed to be the trick. When the Zaslav era began, the CEO outlined a 10-year plan for DC that would take a page from the Marvel playbook, where all films adhere to president Kevin Feige's singular vision. Yet somehow the “Joker” sequel was allowed to skirt that mandate, with Phillips operating in an alternative silo from the newly installed DC chiefs. Not surprisingly, core DC fans revolted and the result was brand damage.

“It's a 'Speed ​​2' level disaster — Warner Bros. overspends on a sequel, only to see its audience all but abandon the film domestically,” Box said.– Exhibitor Relations Office Analyst Jeff Bock. “Warner Bros. Had the biggest hit of the fall season in Beetlejuice 2 and now probably the biggest flop, also in 'Joker 2'. Such is the path of the sequel. The truth is, the makers of 'Joker 2' have gone sideways [that] The majority of listeners do not want to follow. In the end, choices were made, and unfortunately, they didn't align with moviegoers' tastes.”