Joker 2 falls so low that it does worse than Madame Web and Morbius: it’s a disaster for the billionaire saga

Thursday 10th October 2024 06:04 AM

News culture Joker 2 falls so low that it does worse than Madame Web and Morbius: it’s a disaster for the billionaire saga

Published on 10/10/2024 at 11:04

Times are tough for superheroes, but also for their antagonists who legitimize the armed fight against crime in all its forms. Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix as Gotham’s clown was a surprise hit at the cinema that exceeded all the expectations of those involved in the project. It’s a completely different story for its sequel Joker 2 which crashes at the box office and even manages to do worse than Madame Web and Morbius on one specific point.

Joker 2, the sequel too many?

Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. Pictures dreamed of a second box office heist at least as lucrative as Joker was in 2019, but fate decided otherwise. Joker 2 will not be able to repeat the feat of the first film based on its results during its first days of theatrical release. Despite a promising first weekend in the United States with just under 40 million US dollars earned in its domestic market (37.8 million to be precise), Joaquin Phoenix’s second quip is actually a disappointment. For comparison, Joker first of the name brought in 96 million over the equivalent period. It is therefore unlikely (if not impossible) that Joker 2 will reach the billion dollars like its predecessor 5 years ago.

The critical reception of Joker 2 works against it and does not encourage fans of the first feature film to go to theaters. On RottenTomatoes, the “musical comedy” directed by Todd Phillips is severely put in its place both by critics (RT score of 33%) and by the public (RT score of 31%). This makes Joker 2 one of the worst “superhero” films ever made. Sean Chandler (Sean Chandler Talks About) sums up the general opinion perfectly: “I respect the daring of the film and found it visually hypnotic, but ultimately it is an unsatisfying epilogue to the first film. ” Joaquin Phoenix now rubs shoulders with the abyss with a smile on his face alongside Jared Leto, Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Tom Hardy.

A film worse than Madame Web and Morbius?

If we stick to RottenTomatoes, Joker 2 stands out from the productions of “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe”, but very little. Madame Web is by far the worst film of the bunch with a press score of 11%. Next comes Morbius which follows very closely with 15%, then Venom with 30% would therefore save face unless a sad record comes to finish it off. CinemaScore (“industry leader in measuring the appeal of films to spectators”) has just awarded Joker a “D” rating, which is a historic first for a film set in a superheroic universe. Even Madame Web and Morbius performed better with an unenviable C+. It is now obvious that the general public is ignoring Joker 2. It definitely smells like a tree for the clown of Gotham.