Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga is underperforming with fans and critics alike.
The sequel, anticipated by many fans, has had overall negative reactions, causing many moviegoers to leave the theater. Here’s a big reason why.
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Joker (2019) has a strong fan base.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen the original, starring Joaquin Phoenix came out in 2019, it had generally positive reviews, although it was a bit of a mixed bag with audiences and reviewers. The film sits at 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and 59% on Metacritic.
However, it did create a rather devoted fanbase, as many people resonated with Phoenix’s portrayal of the iconic comic book character.
The sequel has bad ratings.
Embed from Getty ImagesFans were curious about the sequel, which added Lady Gaga to the cast as Harley Quinn, also known as Lee Quinzel.
The new film, which came out at the beginning of October, explores the iconic relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn but with a twist that many weren’t expecting.
As of now, this sequel has a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fans and critics have both been unimpressed.
Both movies have the same director, Todd Phillips. With high-profile actors, the movie seemed like it would follow the success of the original. Joaquin Phoenix even received an Oscar for his role in Joker (2019). Sadly, this hasn’t been the case.
Sometimes, fans love a movie, and critics don’t, or vice versa. In this case, there is a mostly unanimous feeling that the movie misses the mark.
Some fans are even walking out because of one fact about the film.
Even if people don’t like a movie, it’s rare to walk out of the theater, especially with the rising costs of attending the cinema. But, some moviegoers were so off-put by Joker: Folie à Deux that they left their seats.
It seems this exodus is largely due to the fact that the movie is a musical.
Many people didn’t realize they were attending a movie musical.
Although it was announced in March that the movie would be a jukebox musical, many casual fans and viewers were unaware of this fact.
While commercials did show the two main characters dancing in a musical production, many fans didn’t realize that the musical element would be such a large part of the film.
Lady Gaga released an album of the songs from the movie.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe songs performed in the film were also released as a Lady Gaga album called “Harlequin.” They are the same songs, just more polished and in their complete form.
While big fans of Joker or Lady Gaga may have known this, the movie’s marketing didn’t make it very clear that it was a full-on jukebox musical, leaving some fans upset.
Many people have strong opinions about musicals.
Embed from Getty ImagesMusicals can be rather divisive. While some people love them, others can’t stand them. The general fanbase for the first film doesn’t seem to overlap much with fans of musicals, so many people were shocked in the theater.
But it’s not just the musical element that viewers didn’t like.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile some people walked out because Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical, it wasn’t the only thing people disliked.
Some critics found that the movie just missed the mark overall. It didn’t seem to commit to the musical element fully. Others found that the film tried to critique the mythos around the Joker as a character but failed to do so.
Did you like the movie?
Embed from Getty ImagesIf you saw Joker: Folie à Deux, what are your thoughts? Did you walk out or want to walk out? Or did you enjoy the film overall?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’re one of the minority of viewers who loved the movie.
