Since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, Joker: Folie à Deux has been getting a lot of attention, but not always for good reasons. While the original movie got 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel managed a 61% just a few weeks ago, which was not great but still decent.
Now, after the movie’s wider release and as it gets ready for its October 4 US theatrical release, its score has dropped to an unfortunate 48% based on 88 reviews.
The movie’s low score is surprising, especially given its amazing cast. Big names like Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Steve Coogan have joined Joaquin Phoenix, who is playing his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck again.
Director Todd Phillips is thrilled to work with Phoenix once more, and he shared his excitement in an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub.
“It’s a dream for a director. It’s what you want, and, quite frankly, a lot of actors do do that. Maybe not to the extent that Joaquin does, but you always want to try different things. You certainly wanna give them an environment and a freedom that makes them feel safe to do those things.
I think Joaquin, with me, really feels that. So for me and Jeff [Groth], who I edit with, we’re in heaven when we go through Joaquin’s stuff. Because there is no set way, and it’s like, “Oh, this is feeling like the scene before it. I wish there was another way to cut this.”
Well, there is, because we have these “Take Sixes” on each one that are entirely different and will give it a whole different meaning or energy or emotion or whatever the thing is. So what it’s like is, it’s an absolute dream really.”
Joker: Folie à Deux Struggles to Meet Expectations
Word spreads quickly in the film industry, and the news about Joker: Folie à Deux’s issues has reached all over the world. The movie mixes courtroom drama and musical elements, which has frustrated many critics. Some have called the movie a big disappointment.
However, it seems the sequel was always going to struggle because the first movie was so successful, both in terms of money and reviews. This difference in quality has left fans of the first movie unhappy.
In his review for Collider, Martin Tsai said:
“Phillips had one job, which was to recreate the jittery cringe of the original Joker to capitalize on the commercial and awards successes. A middling courtroom tale and half-baked musical is not the kind of victory lap anyone wants. Your best bet is to go rewatch The People’s Joker and pretend this never happened.”
As of now, Joker: Folie à Deux holds a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie will be available in theaters on October 4.
