ZAMM.COM

JOKER 2’s $40M launch proves not everybody loves a clown.

Amazingly, JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX, WB/DC’S R rated crime drama musical, didn’t even hit the last minute $47M estimate Hollywood handicappers came up with Saturday. That, of course, was far below original projections of $65-70M.

DEUX’s $40M — which could be lower when the boxoffice dust settles Monday — was from 4,102 theatres ($9,751), per Comscore. Directed, co-written & co-produced by Todd Phillips (JOKER), it reportedly cost $190-200M to produce. DEUX opened better abroad with $81.1M in 76 markets for a worldwide cume of $121.1M.

DEUX is tracking best for first choice with men over 25 (15 points over norm) and next best with women over 25 (9 points over norm). Rotten Tomatoes critics hate it at 33% and audiences are booing at 31%.

Phillips’ JOKER did $1.1B worldwide in 2019, but DEUX is dead. Its disastrous launch throws a monkey wrench into exhibitors’ hopes for a robust October. It also will revive Wall Street warnings that exhibition is dying, which isn’t true. DEUX is just a movie that no one wants to see.

DEUX brings to mind the 1980 United Artists tragedy HEAVEN’S GATE, directed  by Michael Cimino, whose 1978 hit THE DEERHUNTER won five Oscars, including best picture & director. He made GATE for $44M — a huge budget then — and it did just $3.5M. GATE not only killed the western genre for decades, but it put UA out of business. UA’s been reborn since then and is now part of Amazon’s MGM. Today’s studios are buried within global media giants, so one big money losing picture can no longer shut things down. 

DEUX’s failure goes back to WB’s previous regime — the streaming-for-all guys — for letting Phillips develop it to suit himself as an ultra-costly project. Everyone apparently drank Phillips’s Kool Aid about how audiences would love a JOKER musical sequel. Now the franchise is likely buried.

This weekend’s domestic marketplace totaled $90M, per Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian, down 4.4% from the prior weekend and up 23% vs. this time last year. Comscore’s year to date tally has 2024 at $6.43B, down 11% from $7.23B in 2023. The previous weekend, 2024 was down 11% vs. 2023.

Meanwhile, back at the multiplexes: Universal/Dreamworks Animation’s PG rated sci-fi adventure THE WILD ROBOT was a strong #2 in weekend two with $18.7M (-48%) at 3,997 theatres ($4,679). WILD, which reportedly cost $78M to produce, has done $64M domestic and $100.4M worldwide.

Next weekend (10/11) Sony will expand to about 2,000 theatres its R rated bio-comedy/drama SATURDAY NIGHT, directed by Jason Reitman (JUNO). This weekend it did about $280,000 at 21 theatres ($13,333) for a domestic cume of $638,249, per Comscore. It’s tracking for first choice below norm for all demos. Rotten Tomatoes critics are okay at 79%.