‘Joker 2’ Tops International Box Office With $81.1 Million
by Brent Lang · Variety“Joker: Folie à Deux” debuted to an estimated $81.1 million this weekend to top the international box office. The film, which is a follow-up to 2019’s “Joker,” earned a disappointing $40 million domestically. Globally, the off-beat comic book film has earned $121.1 million.
The problem for Warner Bros., which financed the picture, is that “Joker: Folie à Deux” cost a massive $200 million to produce. In comparison, the first “Joker” had a lean $65 million budget. Plus, the reviews for the film have been terrible, and audiences seem to agree with critics, handing the film a doleful “D” CinemaScore. Much of the added costs are related to the fees for Phillips, as well as Joaquin Phoenix, who returns as the troubled standup Arthur Fleck, and Lady Gaga, who puts her own spin on Harley Quinn, a favorite from the comics.
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The film played on 25,788 screens and in 76 overseas markets. Among the most notable results, “Joker: Folie à Deux” grossed $8 million in the U.K., $6.9 million in Germany, $5.6 million in Italy, $5.5 million in Mexico and $5 million in France. Next week, the film will open in Japan before debuting in China on Oct. 16.
The original “Joker” was a massive — and massively profitable — blockbuster, earning $335 million domestically and $743 million internationally. For a time, it ranked as the highest-grossing R-rated movie, but that record fell after “Deadpool & Wolverine” earned $1.32 billion worldwide. Even before “Joker 2” divided critics and audiences, Phillips said he was done with comic book movies. “It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world,” he told Variety in August.