Todd Phillips basically bet $200 million on a musical. Honestly, that's the most "Joker" thing anyone has ever done in real life. When Joker: Folie à Deux hit theaters, the air didn't just leave the room—it felt like the room itself collapsed. After the 2019 original raked in over a billion dollars and nabbed Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar, everyone expected a standard-issue sequel. We expected more chaos. More dancing on stairs. Instead, we got a courtroom drama about trauma, shared delusions, and a lot of singing.
It was a bold move. Maybe too bold.
The sequel picks up with Arthur Fleck rotting away in Arkham State Hospital. He's skinny. He's broken. He's waiting for trial. Then he meets Lee Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga, and the movie pivots into a psychedelic exploration of what it means to be an icon vs. a human being. It’s a sequel that seems to actively dislike its own fan base, or at least the part of the fan base that worshipped Arthur as a revolutionary hero.
The Musical Identity Crisis in Joker Folie à Deux
People hate the word "musical" when it comes to comic book movies. It feels wrong. But Phillips and Phoenix didn't care. They wanted to show that the only way Arthur can express the "music" inside him is through these grand, imaginary sequences.
The songs aren't original pop hits. They are standards. Think "Get Happy," "For Once in My Life," and "That's Life." Gaga brings her obvious vocal powerhouse energy, but Phoenix keeps Arthur's singing raw. It’s shaky. It's the voice of a man who isn't a performer but is trying to survive. This tonal shift is why the film sits at such a low Rotten Tomatoes score compared to the first one. Audiences went in expecting The Dark Knight and got The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with face paint.
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There is a specific scene where they perform a variety show sketch. It’s garish. It’s loud. It’s meant to be jarring. If you felt uncomfortable, that was likely the point. But should a $200 million blockbuster feel like a middle finger to the audience? That is the question critics like David Ehrlich and outlets like Variety have been wrestling with since the Venice Film Festival premiere.
Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel: A Different Kind of Harley
Forget Margot Robbie. This isn't the "daddy's lil monster" version of Harley Quinn. Gaga’s Lee Quinzel is a manipulator. She isn't a victim of Arthur; she’s a fan of the Joker.
This is where the title Joker: Folie à Deux comes into play. The French term literally translates to "folly of two" or "shared psychosis." It's a real psychiatric syndrome where symptoms of a delusional belief are transmitted from one individual to another. In this film, the "delusion" is the Joker itself. Lee doesn't love Arthur Fleck. She loves the clown who shot a talk show host on live TV. When Arthur starts to shed that skin, her interest evaporates. It’s a brutal commentary on celebrity culture and the way we project our needs onto public figures.
Why the Box Office Failed to Launch
Money talks. In Hollywood, it screams.
The first movie cost roughly $60 million. It was a massive underdog success. Joker: Folie à Deux cost more than triple that. When a movie costs $200 million, it needs to appeal to everyone—theaters, casual viewers, and die-hard DC fans. By making a subversive, slow-burn musical drama, Phillips essentially alienated the very people who made the first one a hit.
- The Budget: Huge marketing costs plus a massive production budget meant it needed at least $450 million just to break even.
- The "B" CinemaScore: Audiences didn't just dislike it; they felt misled by the trailers.
- Competition: It faced stiff competition and a general "superhero fatigue" that has been haunting the industry lately.
It’s a fascinating case study in directorial freedom. Warner Bros. gave Phillips a blank check because of his past success. He used it to dismantle the myth he created in 2019. It's rare to see a director use a sequel to deconstruct the protagonist so thoroughly that the audience leaves the theater feeling depressed rather than hyped.
The Ending Everyone Is Talking About
Stop here if you haven't seen it. Seriously.
The ending of Joker: Folie à Deux is a total subversion of the "Joker" origin story. Arthur Fleck is not the Joker. Not the real one. In the final moments, he is stabbed to death by another inmate in Arkham—a younger, more chaotic prisoner who then carves a smile into his own face.
Arthur dies as a nobody.
This confirms what many suspected: Arthur was just a catalyst. He was an accidental spark that lit a fire he couldn't control. For many fans, this felt like a betrayal. They spent two movies following Arthur only to be told he was a footnote in the history of Gotham. But from a narrative standpoint, it’s a powerful statement. It suggests that "The Joker" isn't a person, but a virus. An idea.
Real-World Reactions and Critical Divide
The reviews were a bloodbath. Some called it "stunningly dull," while others praised it as a "masterpiece of subversion."
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film’s rejection of traditional tropes was its biggest strength and its greatest weakness. You can't help but respect the swing. Phoenix’s physical transformation is once again terrifying. He looks like a skeleton wrapped in skin. The cinematography by Lawrence Sher is gorgeous, using light and shadow to mimic the feeling of a 1940s film noir. But beauty doesn't always equal an enjoyable Friday night at the movies.
What This Means for Future DC Movies
James Gunn is now heading the DC Universe (DCU). Joker: Folie à Deux exists in the "Elseworlds" category, meaning it’s not part of the main continuity with Superman or Batman.
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This failure likely means we won't see more of these big-budget, auteur-driven experiments for a while. Studios are going to play it safe. They want hits, not "statements." If you liked the risk-taking of the first Joker, you might find something to love here, but don't expect a third chapter. Arthur's story is done. The clown mask has been passed, and it didn't happen the way anyone expected.
If you’re planning on watching it for the first time, go in expecting a character study about a man being crushed by his own shadow. Don't expect a riot. Don't expect a superhero movie. Expect a tragedy that happens to have a bit of singing in it.
Actionable Insights for Movie Fans
To truly appreciate the nuances of what Todd Phillips attempted, you should look into the cinematic influences he leaned on. This wasn't a "comic book movie" in the traditional sense; it was a tribute to a specific era of film.
- Watch "The King of Comedy" and "Taxi Driver": These Scorsese classics were the blueprint for the first film, but their influence remains in the sequel’s exploration of obsessed fans.
- Research "Folie à Deux" as a clinical term: Understanding the psychological basis of shared delusions makes the relationship between Arthur and Lee much more disturbing.
- Listen to the Soundtrack separately: Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is haunting. Without the visual distraction, the musical choices feel more intentional and less like a "gimmick."
- Compare the Courtroom Scenes to Real Trials: The film mirrors the media circus of high-profile 1970s trials. Seeing how the public turns a criminal into a celebrity provides a lot of context for the jury scenes in the movie.