Joker: Folie à Deux star Lady Gaga is opening up about all the negative feedback the musical thriller has received. The sequel to the 2019 film, Joker, was released on October 2, 2024 and was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics. The film also proved to be a commercial failure and only managed to collect $207.5 million worldwide against a $190-200 million budget. However, Lady Gaga, who played the role of the infamous Harley Quinn isn’t letting that affect how she feels.
In an interview with Elle Magazine, the singer and actress claimed that people just don’t like some things sometimes. In Gaga’s exact words: “To be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it.” The actress confessed that while the film didn’t connect with the audience the way she intended, she wasn’t going to let the fear of failure ever hold her back. Lady Gaga believes that failure is “part of the mayhem” and that allowing fear to make its way into one’s life is a slippery slope.
The first film in the Joker franchise was a massive success at the box office with a worldwide collection of $1.074 billion against its budget of $55-70 million. However, as reported by Variety, director Quentin Tarantino loved Joker: Folie à Deux. According to Tarantino, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of The Joker in the sequel is “one of the best performances” he has ever seen in his life. Not only that, but Tarantino believes that the 2019 film was “one-note” compared to the musical.
People on Set Knew That ‘Joker 2’ Was Going To Bomb
Comedian Tim Dillon had a minor role in Joker: Folie à Deux. But it looks like he knew the sequel was going to be a failure before it had even wrapped filming! During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Dillon referred to the second installment in the franchise as “the worst film that has ever been made.” He claimed that many cast members on set knew that the film was going to flop since it lacked a coherent plot.
The comedian joked that the whole thing was a practical joke worth $200 million and that the producers intended to disappoint the fans. Dillion criticized the film’s musical genre and noted that the extravagant dance numbers with Phoenix and Lady Gaga just didn’t connect with the audience. However, he didn’t just blame the producers. According to Dillon, the first film attracted the wrong kind of audience which included incels and people who glorified “male rage.” He believes that this is what led the filmmakers to take such a different direction for the sequel.
Dillon added that everyone expected the tone of the sequel to be equally dark and gritty as the first installment. The comedian shared that he would sit with other members of the supporting cast and they’d all wonder where exactly the film was going. According to Dillon, Joker: Folie à Deux is so terrible that it isn’t even “hate-watchable” for him.
Joker: Folie à Deux is now streaming on Max.
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Joker: Folie à Deux |
|---|---|
| Cast | Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener |
| Release Date | October 4, 2024 |
| Stream On | Theatrical release |
| Directed by | Todd Phillips |
| Produced by | Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, Emma Tillinger Koskoff |
| Based On | Characters from DC Comics |
| Plot Summary | A follow-up to Joker (2019), focusing on the psychological journey of Arthur Fleck and his descent into madness with Harley Quinn. |
| Musical Elements | Musical score by Hildur Guðnadóttir. Features musical performances by Lady Gaga. |
| Current Status | Released on October 4, 2024. Grossed approximately $207 million worldwide. |
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