Joker 2’s Final Box Office Is Worse Than We Imagined
Whenever a highly-anticipated movie ends up unexpectedly flopping, many of us end up asking a rather ghoulish question: how low can it go? That’s certainly been the case with Joker 2, as Todd Phillips followed up on his immensely successful first film (which earned over a billion dollars at the box office) with a sequel that disappointed critics and general audiences. And the studio will pay more for that disappointment than anyone could have guessed, as the movie is now projected to lose up to $200 million.
Warner Bros May Lose Hundreds Of Millions
The reason for the inexact estimate is that we have no way of knowing what the movie’s final box office will be, and there’s always a chance (albeit a slim one) that it will outperform expectations in certain areas. Right now, though, Joker 2 is projected to earn no more than $65 million domestically and $210 million to $215 million globally. Against the cost of producing and marketing this controversial sequel, Warner Bros. is on track to lose anywhere between $150-$200 million.
A Massive Step Down From The Original
For context, Joker 2 cost $200 million, a huge jump over the first movie (whose budget was between $55 to $70 million). On top of that, the movie cost at least $100 million to market, and insiders close to the film have estimated losses to the studio of up to $200 million. Those same insiders (as well as rival studio executives) claim that this movie was going to need to earn $450 million to simply break even, and its paltry box office is going to result in a major loss to the studio.
Warner Bros Clarifies The Break Even Point
Speaking of the studio, Warner Bros. Discovery has been actively pushing back against these claims, including saying that Joker 2 will only need $375 million to break even (although even that more optimistic claim still spells bad news for the movie’s failing box office). Furthermore, a spokesperson for the studio has tried to put ice on these rumors, saying, “Any estimates suggested by anonymous ‘insiders’ or ‘rival executives’ are grossly wrong and continues a trend where rumor is reported as fact.”
Continuing, 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.” That last part is most certainly true, but it doesn’t look like ticket sales in China or anywhere else will stop this movie from becoming a historical flop.
Already Going To Digital
At this point, the studio’s next hope for the sequel is to earn a lot of money when Joker 2 releases on digital on October 29. However, given its awful word-of-mouth and the fact that it has both a 33 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a D CinemaScore (a first for a comic book movie), it’s doubtful that many people will suddenly decide to digitally experience the film. Should a disappointing theatrical run be followed by a disappointing digital release and subsequent home video release, the failure of this sequel will be complete.
Joker Falls While Penguin Soars
It’s honestly very difficult to blame that failure on anyone but Todd Phillips…after all, the success of both the first Joker film and the Penguin TV show illustrate that audiences love to dive deeper into the world of Batman’s villains. But this sequel tries to be a musical, a love story, and a courtroom drama, and it fails at all of them. Now, all we can do is hope for a better director to tackle Joker’s future films because there is nothing funny–or at all redeeming–about Phillips’ high-profile failure.
Source: Variety
