“Joker: Folie à Deux” is the No. 1 film on the field workplace, nevertheless it may not be destined for a contented ending.

In a flip of occasions that solely Arthur Fleck would discover humorous, the follow-up to Todd Phillips’ 2019 origin story concerning the Batman villain opened in theaters nationwide this weekend to a muted $40 million, in accordance with studio estimates Sunday, lower than half that of its predecessor. The collapse was swift and has many within the business questioning: How did the extremely anticipated sequel to an Oscar-winning, billion-dollar movie with the identical artistic staff go incorrect?

Simply three weeks in the past, monitoring providers pegged the film for a $70 million debut, which might nonetheless have been down a good quantity from “Joker’s” record-breaking $96.2 million launch in Oct. 2019. Opinions had been blended out of the Venice Movie Competition, the place it premiered in competitors like the primary film and even bought a 12-minute standing ovation.

However the homecoming glow was short-lived, and the delicate basis would crumble within the coming weeks with its Rotten Tomatoes rating dropping from 63% at Venice to 33% by its first weekend in theaters. Maybe much more shocking had been the viewers evaluations: Ticket consumers polled on opening evening gave the movie a lethal D CinemaScore. Exit polls from PostTrak weren’t any higher. It bought a meager half star out of 5 attainable.

“That’s a double whammy that’s very troublesome to get better from,” mentioned Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “The largest concern of all is the reported funds. A $40 or $50 million opening for a inexpensive film could be a stable debut.”

“Joker: Folie à Deux” price no less than twice as a lot as the primary movie to supply, although reported figures differ at precisely how dear it was to make. Phillips advised Selection that it was lower than the reported $200 million; Others have it pegged at $190 million. Warner Bros. launched the movie in 4,102 areas in North America. About 12.5% of its home complete got here from 415 IMAX screens.

Internationally, it’s earned $81.1 million from 25,788 screens, bringing its complete international earnings estimate to $121.1 million. Within the subsequent two weeks, “Joker 2” can even open in Japan and China.

Second place went to Common and DreamWorks Animation’s“The Wild Robotic,” which added $18.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its home complete to just about $64 million. Globally, it’s revamped $100 million. Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” took third place in weekend 5, Paramount’s “Transformers One” landed in fourth and Common and Blumhouse’s “Converse No Evil” rounded out the highest 5.

The opposite large new launch of the weekend, Lionsgate’s “White Hen,” flopped with simply $1.5 million from simply over 1,000 areas, regardless of an A+ CinemaScore.

General, the weekend is up from the identical body final 12 months, however “Joker’s” begin is an unwelcome twist for theater house owners hoping to slender the field workplace deficit.

Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix have mentioned they aspired to make one thing as “audacious” as the primary movie. The sequel added Girl Gaga into the fold, as a Joker superfan, and delved additional into the thoughts of Arthur Fleck, imprisoned at Arkham and awaiting trial for the murders he dedicated within the first. It’s additionally a musical, with elaborately imagined track and dance numbers to outdated requirements. Gaga even launched a companion album referred to as “‘Harlequin,” alongside the movie.

In his assessment for The Related Press, Jake Coyle wrote that “Phillips has adopted his very antihero tackle the Joker with a really anti-sequel. It combines jail drama, courthouse thriller and musical, and but seems remarkably inert given how flamable the unique was.”

The sequel has already been the topic of many suppose items, some who posit that the sequel was intentionally alienating followers of the primary film. In cruder phrases, it’s been referred to as a “center finger.” However followers typically ignore the recommendation of critics, particularly on the subject of opening their wallets to see revered comedian e-book characters on the massive display.

“They took a swing for the fences,” Dergarabedian mentioned. “However apart from a few outliers, audiences in 2024 appear to wish to know what they’re getting once they’re going to the theater. They need the tried and true, the acquainted.”

It has some high-profile defenders too: Francis Ford Coppola, who final week bought his personal D+ CinemaScore for his dear, bold and divisive movie “Megalopolis,” entered the Joker chat with an Instagram publish.

“@ToddPhillips movies all the time amaze me and I take pleasure in them totally,” Coppola wrote. “Ever for the reason that fantastic ‘The Hangover’ he’s all the time one step forward of the viewers by no means doing what they count on.”

“Megalopolis,” in the meantime, dropped a terminal 74% in its second weekend with simply over $1 million, bringing its complete simply shy of $6.5 million towards a $120 million funds.

Deadline editor Anthony D’Alessandro thinks the issue began with the concept to make the Joker sequel a musical. “No fan of the unique film wished to see a musical sequel,” he wrote on Saturday.

The first movie was additionally divisive and the topic of a lot discourse, then about whether or not it’d ship the incorrect message to the incorrect sort of particular person. And but individuals nonetheless flocked to see what the fuss was about. “Joker” went on to select up 11 Oscar nominations, together with finest image and finest director, and three wins. It additionally revamped $1 billion and was the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, till this summer time when Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” took the crown.

Estimated ticket gross sales for Friday by way of Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, in accordance with Comscore. Remaining home figures can be launched Monday.

1. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” $40 million.

2. “The Wild Robotic,” $18.7 million.

3. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $10.3 million.

4. “Transformers One,” $5.4 million.

5. “Converse No Evil,” $2.8 million.

6. “Sam and Colby: The Legends of Paranormal,” $1.8 million.

7. “White Hen,” $1.5 million.

8. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $1.5 million.

9. “The Substance,” $1.3 million.

10. “Megalopolis,” $1.1 million.