So, here we are. It’s 2026. The dust has finally settled on one of the most polarizing cinematic experiments in recent memory. When we first heard about Joker 2 Lady Gaga joining forces with Joaquin Phoenix, the internet basically had a collective meltdown. People were envisioning something like a dark, gritty A Star Is Born meets a fever dream. What we got was Joker: Folie à Deux, a film that defied expectations in ways that—honestly—left a lot of the core fanbase feeling pretty cold.
It’s weird.
Todd Phillips took a billion-dollar property and decided to turn it into a courtroom drama musical. Bold? Absolutely. Suicide mission? Maybe. But to understand why the movie hit such a wall at the box office and with critics, you have to look at how Lee Quinzel was handled. Gaga didn’t just play a sidekick. She was supposed to be the catalyst. But the way the script utilized her talents compared to the marketing... well, there’s a massive gap there.
The Reality of Lee Quinzel: Not Your Mother's Harley Quinn
Most people went into the theater expecting the classic "Doctor Harleen Quinzel" origin. You know the one—the psychiatrist who gets manipulated by her patient until she loses her mind. This movie flipped that script entirely. In this version, Lee is already "broken," or at least, she’s already obsessed with the myth of Arthur Fleck. She’s the pursuer.
It’s a fascinating dynamic shift. Gaga plays her with this quiet, eerie intensity. She isn't doing the high-pitched, bubbly Brooklyn accent we saw with Margot Robbie. This is a woman who burned down her parents' apartment just to get a glimpse of the man who killed a talk show host on live TV.
But here’s the rub: many fans felt she was underused. Despite the heavy focus on Joker 2 Lady Gaga in every trailer, Lee often feels like a figment of Arthur’s imagination even when she’s standing right there. The "musical" aspect of the film—which Phillips repeatedly tried to downplay in press junkets by saying it wasn't a "traditional" musical—happens almost entirely inside Arthur's head.
Folie à Deux translates to "madness for two," but the movie often feels like a solo act where the second person is just a mirror.
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Why the Musical Numbers Split the Audience
Music is subjective. Obviously. But when you take a gritty, nihilistic character like Arthur Fleck and have him belt out "Get Happy" or "For Once in My Life," you’re going to lose people.
The strategy was to use these songs to express emotions that the characters couldn't articulate. Gaga, being a powerhouse vocalist, obviously crushed the performances. She even released a companion album, Harlequin, which many argue is actually more cohesive than the film’s soundtrack itself.
- The "Fantasy" sequences: These were flashy, colorful, and felt like old Hollywood. They were meant to contrast with the bleak, grey walls of Arkham State Hospital.
- The "Reality" singing: This was raw. Sometimes out of tune. Joaquin Phoenix isn't a singer by trade, and he leaned into that. It was supposed to feel uncomfortable.
The problem? It broke the tension. Just as the courtroom drama started getting interesting, the movie would pause for a five-minute cabaret number. For a lot of viewers, it felt like the plot was being held hostage by the concept.
The Backlash and the CinemaScore
It’s rare for a sequel to a billion-dollar movie to get a "D" CinemaScore. That’s usually reserved for horror movies that have endings so depressing people walk out angry.
The backlash wasn't just about the singing. It was about the deconstruction of the Joker himself. The first movie was a "power fantasy" for a certain segment of the audience—a story about a forgotten man rising up and burning the system down. This sequel? It’s a middle finger to that idea.
By the time the third act rolls around, Arthur Fleck basically admits he isn't the "Joker" the world wants him to be. He’s just a tired, mentally ill man named Arthur. Lee Quinzel, representing the audience's desire for the chaos, leaves him the moment he stops being "The Joker."
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It’s meta. It’s smart. But man, did it make people mad.
The Production Reality and the Budget
Let's talk numbers because they're kind of staggering. The first Joker cost around $55 million. It was a massive underdog. Joker: Folie à Deux had a budget reportedly north of $200 million.
Where did that money go?
- Salaries: Phoenix took home a massive $20 million. Lady Gaga earned roughly $12 million.
- Production Design: Recreating the scale of Gotham and the intricate musical sets wasn't cheap.
- Music Licensing: Using classic standards from the American Songbook costs a fortune.
When a movie costs that much, it has to appeal to everyone. But Phillips made a niche, experimental arthouse film. You can’t really blame the studio for being nervous, but you also have to wonder who thought a depressed musical was a "four-quadrant" blockbuster.
Gaga’s Method Acting and the "Lee" Persona
We’ve heard the stories. Gaga stayed in character. She wanted the singing to be "ugly" to match the world. She worked closely with costume designer Arianne Phillips to create a look that felt thrifted and manic rather than "superhero-y."
If you look at her performance in isolation, it’s actually quite brilliant. She uses her eyes to convey a terrifying level of devotion. She’s not a victim in this movie; she’s a predator. She wants the Joker, not Arthur. The tragedy is that Arthur wants Lee, not the Joker.
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It’s a romance where neither person is actually seeing the other.
What This Means for Future Comic Book Movies
The failure of Joker 2 Lady Gaga to ignite the box office tells us a few things about the current state of cinema.
First, audiences are tired of being tricked by trailers. The marketing for Folie à Deux was very careful to hide just how much singing was in the movie. When people showed up and realized they were watching a jukebox musical, they felt cheated.
Second, "subverting expectations" is a risky game. It worked for The Last Jedi in some ways, and it failed here. If you build a character into a symbol, and then spend two hours telling the audience that the symbol is a lie, they’re going to be frustrated.
However, from a purely artistic standpoint, there is something respectable about a director who refuses to give the audience what they want. Todd Phillips had total creative control, and he used it to make exactly the movie he wanted to make. It just happened to be a movie that almost nobody wanted to see twice.
Practical Takeaways for the Curious Viewer
If you haven't seen it yet, or you're planning a rewatch with a different lens, keep these points in mind to actually enjoy the experience:
- Listen to Harlequin first: Lady Gaga’s album provides a much better emotional roadmap for her version of the character than the film’s dialogue does.
- Watch the background: The cinematography by Lawrence Sher is still world-class. Even if you hate the singing, the lighting and composition are masterclasses in film language.
- Expect a deconstruction: This isn't a "comic book movie." It’s a movie about the consequences of the first movie. If you go in expecting a revolution, you’ll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a tragedy about a man who can’t live up to his own myth, it works a lot better.
- Look for the small details: Pay attention to when Lee is singing versus when Arthur is. It tells you exactly who is in control of the "fantasy" at any given moment.
The legacy of Joker: Folie à Deux won't be as a blockbuster. It’ll likely become a cult film studied in film schools for its sheer audacity. Whether that makes it a "good" movie is still up for debate, but one thing is certain: we’ll be talking about the Joker 2 Lady Gaga experiment for a long time.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the technical side of the film, start by comparing the live-recorded vocals in the prison scenes to the studio-recorded tracks used in the fantasy sequences. The difference in vocal texture reveals exactly how much work Gaga put into making her voice sound "unrefined" for the sake of the character’s realism.