One of the most anticipated movies of the fall season is nearly upon us as “Joker: Folie a Deux” is just around the corner.
It was reported back in February that the “Joker” sequel has a massive $200 million budget – as opposed to the first film, which was made for a relatively reasonable $60 million.
Unfortunately for Phillips, there’s no guarantee that “Folie a Deux” will do what the first “Joker” did.
It’s nothing new, nor is it remotely surprising that Warner Bros. would be willing to give Phillips a bigger budget for “Folie a Deux.”
Just look at “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which made just $444 million worldwide on a $200 million budget — a fraction of what the first film made.
Similarly, “The Marvels” struggled to make it to $200 million globally on a budget north of $200 million after “Captain Marvel” made $1.13 billion.
It’s understandable that people such as myself aren’t thrilled that Phillips might have more than tripled the budget for his “Joker” sequel.
“Joker: Folie a Deux” hits theaters on October 4, 2024.
“Joker: Folie a Deux,” one of the most eagerly awaited fall film releases, is practically here. The follow-up to 2019’s hugely popular film “Joker” is being directed by Todd Phillis again. After taking home the Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker from DC Comics in the first movie, Joaquin Phoenix is also back in the role of Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. The sequel is going to be much bigger and more costly than its predecessor, and it will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in early September. That has been the subject of a lot of discussion, one that Phillips doesn’t seem to fully comprehend.
Variety recently published a profile of the filmmaker in anticipation of the upcoming “Folie a Deux” premiere. The “Joker” sequel is reportedly budgeting a whopping $200 million, compared to the first film’s somewhat reasonable $60 million. This information was first reported back in February. Though in his Variety interview Phillips called those reports “absurd,” he did not offer any kind of counter-figure, so it is difficult to determine the current situation. However, in further discussion, Phillips clarified his stance on the issue:.
“From what I’ve read, it appears that these stories support large corporations. Their questions resemble those of studio executives: “Why does it cost so much?”. People should be grateful that we took their money and hired a number of crew members so they could support their families, right?
That requires a lot of unpacking. First, “Joker” took in slightly more than $1 billion worldwide, coming in second only to Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” ($1.08 billion) and “Aquaman” ($1.14 billion) in terms of box office performance for DC films. In addition, “Joker” was much more profitable during its theatrical run because it was made for a significantly lower budget than either of those films. Phillips regretfully has to acknowledge that there is no assurance “Folie a Deux” will accomplish what the original “Joker” did.
Large franchise budgets have been a simmering problem in Hollywood for many years. Nor is it in the slightest bit unexpected that Warner Bros. would be open to providing Phillips with a larger budget for “Folie a Deux.”. Notwithstanding, it’s an extremely dangerous movie and is currently adding to the ongoing, unnecessary financial problem.
First of all, it’s a musical, so some viewers who saw it the first time might not enjoy it as much. Second, it isn’t as though starving kids are being fed by the much larger budget, whatever the exact amount may be. Phoenix received a reported $20 million salary, while Lady Gaga, who plays Harley Quinn, reportedly made $12 million. For his involvement, Phillips is also receiving a sizable salary.
Here’s where Phillips’s argument starts to unravel a little. I cover box office stories for a living, so I’ve witnessed firsthand how these sequels balloon in cost only to fizzle out. Consider “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which, despite having a $200 million budget, only managed to make $444 million worldwide. This amount is far less than what the first movie made. Similar to how “Captain Marvel” made $1.13 billion, “The Marvels” struggled to reach $200 million worldwide on a budget above $200 million.
It’s not a matter of supporting the company. Repercussions follow big-budget film failures. It influences future productions. If the sequel is a big success, this won’t be a problem. However, it’s highly likely that “Folie a Deux” didn’t have to cost as much as it did. Phillips could have undoubtedly paid his employees the same amount on a more “modest” budget. Additionally, if this experiment fails, he could have offered some insurance to job seekers on WB’s next movie, which may have trouble getting off the ground.
It makes sense that those who aren’t overly excited about the possibility that Todd Phillips tripled the budget for his “Joker” sequel would not be thrilled either. It has repercussions.
On October 4, 2024, “Joker: Folie a Deux” opens in theaters.
