Joker 2 Box Office numbers need to reach this much to break even

Key takeaways

Joker 2's box office debut fell short of lowered projections, opening with $40 million domestically.
The film received poor reviews, earning a 33% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and a D CinemaScore.
Despite Warner Bros' disappointment, Joker 2 is still hoping to be an Oscar contender thanks to Phoenix and Gaga's performances.

The Joker 2 Opening weekend box office numbers were worse than Warner Bros. expected. Projections for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga Joker: Folie a Deux was lowered before its release, but the DC film failed to reach those numbers.

When Joker 2 first came on tracking in mid-September, it was on track to open with $70 million. About a week before it was released, Joker 2 box office projections had dropped to an opening weekend gross of $50-60 million. However, the DC sequel failed to live up to even the lowered expectations, and the audience response suggests that it may not be able to improve its financial fortunes.

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Joker 2 opened with an estimated domestic total of $40 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, even the $50-$60 million projections were lowered as the weekend progressed, but “most rival studios” still estimated Joker 2 would finish its opening weekend with $45 million to $47 million. While Joker 2s overseas debut of $81.1 million brought its worldwide total to $121.1 million, still trailing the first film's $248.4 million global debut. Variety notes that sources know Joker 2s financial estimate the film needs to make $450 million to break even.

Joker 2 also suffers from bad reviews. While the first Joker had its fair share of critics who weren't nearly as impressed as others, it still received a 68% Rotten Tomatoes critic score compared to Joker 2is 33%. But the audience was more positive to the first one Joker film, giving it an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, they have been as harsh as critics of Joker 2 by giving the sequel a 31% score. Joker 2 also received a D on CinemaScore, the lowest rating ever for a comic book film. This poor word of mouth probably contributed Joker 2s poor box office debut. According to THR, Warner Bros. “stunned and very disappointed” by Joker 2s cash result. Still, the studio reportedly believes Joker 2 director Todd Phillips is “a creative genius and worth acting on.” THR notes that, too Joker 2 still hoping to be an Oscar contender, “especially for Phoenix and Gaga's performances.”

Fans will likely continue to debate why Joker 2 fails at the box office despite its predecessor's record-breaking success. After all, bad reviews haven't stopped a movie from becoming a blockbuster in the past. Perhaps Joker 2s controversial ending, which was leaked ahead of release, already made moviegoers skeptical. Maybe the first Joker film was lightning in a bottle that would always be impossible to recapture. Some might argue Joker worked well as a standalone film and a sequel was unnecessary, even with the exciting addition of Lady Gaga as fan favorite character Harley Quinn. It may not help that some reviews interpret Joker 2 like being critical of those who enjoyed the first film, or at least found themselves associated with Arthur Fleck, possibly driving away fans of the original.

Whatever the reason, Joker 2 has continued Warner Bros.' unfortunate string of DC flops, potentially putting more pressure on James Gunn's upcoming DC Universe reboot to deliver box office gold when Superman Premiere in theaters next summer.

Joker: Folie à Deux now playing in theaters.

Joker

Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker serves as an origin story for Batman's most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a clown trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don't go according to plan and Arthur feels that Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur sparks a violent revolution in the city. Along with Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy star.