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    Warner Bros. CEO Admits Joker 2’s ‘Disappointing’ Standing for the Studio

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    Warner Bros. CEO Admits Joker 2’s ‘Disappointing’ Standing for the Studio

    Just about everyone has commented on the performance of Joker: Folie à Deux, with even filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino jumping in the mix to defend the film. The Joker sequel received a polarizing response from critics and moviegoers, resulting in a rather quick exit from movie screens and even quicker release on PVOD. Now, the higher-ups at Warner Bros. are finally weighing in on the movie’s poor showing and they’re admitting to being disappointed with its financial performance as well.




    Per Variety, executives from Warner Bros. weighed in on a slew of issues during their most recent earnings call, and that’s when the subject of Joker: Folie à Deux was briefly brought up. Admitting that the performance of the sequel was disappointing and that it will likely play a role in the studio’s performance next quarter, CEO David Zaslav said during the call, “Inconsistency also remains an issue at our motion picture studio, as reinforced recently by the disappointing results of Joker 2.”

    Motion picture group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy made Joker: Folie à Deux the first project that they greenlit under their position. It seemed like a sure thing at the time, given the fact that 2019’s Joker was a billion-dollar grosser worldwide and went on to be an awards season player, even garnering a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a Best Actor win Joaquin Phoenix.


    Zaslav met with director Todd Phillips soon after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April 2022. Reportedly, the two met about filming locations to lower the film’s price point, which ballooned to $200 million. Warner Bros. wanted to shoot in London, which would decrease costs by 20%, but Phillips wanted to shoot in Los Angeles. Other issues between the studio and Phillips reportedly continued with the film’s release, from debuting the film at the Venice Film Festival (Warner Bros. wasn’t for it) to Phillips refusing to test screen the Joker sequel ahead of release. Perhaps consistent communication between the studio and the creatives behind Joker: Folie à Deux would’ve led to a more consistent product.


    Joker: Folie à Deux Was a Pricey Misfire


    Joker: Folie à Deux’s $200 million budget was way ahead of the first film’s $60-70 million production cost. From its divisive musical elements, to the controversial ending, there were too many cracks in the movie’s facade to allow it a fighting chance of making anywhere near the amount needed for it to break even. When all was said and done, Joker: Folie à Deux simply became yet another terrible misfire in Warner Bros. recent comic book movie output.

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    By the time the film opened to the masses, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score crashed. Currently sitting on 33%, with an audience score to match, by the end of the film’s opening weekend and a dreadful “D” CinemaScore from opening day audiences, it was clear where the Joker sequel was headed. After opening just a month ago, Joker: Folie à Deux has already pretty much exited theaters with a domestic take of just $58.2 million and a global gross of $204.7 million. The film is already available on PVOD where it has also had a lackluster response.

    Joker: Folie à Deux has been projected to lose $150-200 million for the studio, one of several costly misjudgements of the last few years. Thankfully, they did have Dune: Part Two and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to soften the blow, but there is no getting away from the fact that Warner Bros. once bright future with superhero and comic book films has come crashing down around them in recent years, and all eyes are now on James Gunn and Peter Safran to put things right as the new co-CEOs of DC Studios.


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