'Joker: Folie a Deux' is falling flat at the box office after receiving an unprecedented D Cinemascore

This is no joke.

Sequel by Todd Phillips Joker: Folie à Deux It made history by becoming the first Hollywood comic book movie to earn a D Cinemascore from audiences The exit polls are equally dire as the audience expressed their displeasure with the sequel

That malaise is translating to a troubled opening at the box office, with the Warner Bros. movie falling behind expectations. The divisive sequel grossed $20 million on Friday, including $7 million in previews, for an estimated launch south of $50 million. Rival studios see the Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga film opening anywhere from $42 million to $47 million (one studio even thinks $40 million or less).

going on the weekend Joker 2 $50 million to $60 million was expected. That was down from the $70 million expected three weeks ago when the film first came in tracking.

In 2019, the joker It debuted to a dreamy $96.2 million on its way to shattering the record for a worldwide total of $1 billion.

Phillips' polarizing, R-rated sequel — which made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews — is a genre-busting, music-infused film that moves outside the comfort zone of the typical fanboy-fueled comic book picture. More troubling from Thursday night's gross is Posttrack's terrible exit score, where audiences gave it a half-star out of five, similar to Thursday Night's score for Francis Ford Coppola. MegalopolisThat bombed in spectacular fashion with $4 million last weekend after earning a D+ CinemaScore. (the jokerIts posttrack may eventually change as the weekend progresses.)

Even superhero movies that don't do well at the box office usually earn decent CinemaScores. Marvel Studios' Marvelswhich opened last year to $46.2 million, earning a B ditto for fellow Warners films. Flashwhich opened to a problematic $55 million domestically.

Fanboy sites are quick to point out the historical meaning of the D grade Joker: Folie à Deux Late Friday night. and the first the joker Didn't even earn an A but a B+.

As of 2019 the joker Compared to Martin Scorsese's previous work, the sequel is a slower-paced journey that focuses on the inner lives of its two leads. Critics praised the overall beauty of the movie, its acting and its craftsmanship but dinged it for its narrative. “A movie lasts two and a half hours, madness for two Narratively feels a bit thin and dull at times,” wrote The Hollywood ReporterIts chief film critic, David Rooney, is based out of Venice.

Regardless of its box office performance, the movie is still expected to be a major player in the Oscar race, especially for Phoenix and Gaga's performances.

foreigner, Joker 2 Opens everywhere this weekend, except for Japan and China, where it will launch in the coming weeks Warners is expecting an overseas debut of $80 million to $85 million.

Joker: Folie à Deux reunited Phillips with Phoenix, who returned to the title role after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck/Joker. Neither Phillips nor Phoenix were convinced to make a sequel and, for a time, considered doing a Broadway show instead, before finally committing to a movie.

the first the joker It cost just $55 million to produce before marketing. Following its success, Phillips was given a net production budget of $190 million to $200 million for the second installment. Part of that brought Gaga into a role inspired by the comic book character Harley Quinn (the filmmakers hoped she would appeal to female moviegoers).

Much of the film consists of fantasy musical numbers starring the couple, who meet while Arthur is in Arkham Asylum awaiting trial for his crimes from the first movie. However, neither Warners nor Phillips felt comfortable calling it a straight-up musical, due to the fact that only the two characters sing, unlike a traditional musical, which usually involves a number of people participating.

The studio's marketing materials clearly managed to highlight the film's numerous musical sequences, just as they did when selling the film. WonkaAn official instrument. The alarmist is not alone; Paramount didn't market either I mean girls as a musical instrument.

Phillips is well aware that the sequel is unconventional, as it doesn't quite follow the ending the jokerSeeing that Arthur embraces his alter ego. At Monday's Los Angeles premiere, Phillips thanked the studio for “taking such a bold swing,” adding, “It's not necessarily the sequel you might expect.”

Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.