UPDATE: Things are getting worse by the day for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Deadline is reporting that a $70M+ opening is now expected for ‘Folie à Deux.’ If these numbers turn out to be accurate, then a $70M start would be $26M less than Joker’s opening of $96.2M in 2019.
It’s all making me wonder if studios will now be thinking twice before debuting their pricey blockbusters at festivals like Cannes and Venice. They’ve been burned too many times these last few years — think “Elemental,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Horizon.”
UPDATE: Some more bad news for ‘Joker: Folie a Deux.’ Today’s latest numbers have the film’s presales currently well behind those of “The Marvels” and “The Flash.” Warner Bros needs to steer this $200M ship in the right direction before it’s too late.
EARLIER: It was just a few weeks ago that “Joker: Folie a Deux” was practically sealed for a $100M opening in October, but these days reviews matter, especially for a film such as this one, and the film’s Venice reception was just not good.
Former theatrical exhibitor Empire City is now sounding the alarm on ‘Folie a Deux.’ Not only is its $100M opening in “serious jeopardy,” but it might very well go “a lot lower” in the coming days and weeks. They’re not ready to bet that it will reach “The Marvels/Flash territory,” but a warning is now justified.
The film is three weeks aways from release, and the buzz has definitely been dwindling. Last week, ‘Folie a Deux’ premiered at Venice where it got panned by critics. It doesn’t help that the film is an R-rated musical, which was already a tough sell to begin with, especially for fans of the grittier 2019 original.