Warner Bros. obviously has great faith in the new DC film. However, insiders now doubt whether the film will be able to recoup its high costs
The Joker film from 2019 was a huge success – in two respects: lead actor Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his extraordinary portrayal of Batman’s arch-rival. Warner Bros. was delighted with box office takings of over one billion US dollars.
Joker 2 is probably also doomed to success. This can now be said with a clear conscience, as a new report reveals Variety how much money has now flowed into the DC sequel.
One Joker for the price of three
A whopping 200 million US dollars should Joker: Folie à Deux is said to have been granted as a budget by Warner Bros. according to the report linked above. This sum underlines the confidence that those responsible apparently have in the sequel
For comparison: The first Joker flick was realized with just 55 million dollars . The sequel is therefore more than triple the amount of its predecessor, putting it in the same financial weight class as the Marvel blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home or The Marvels
, which became a major MCU flop.
Even the currently euphorically acclaimed Dune: Part Two is said to have been somewhat cheaper with a budget of 190 million dollars, despite its visual power.
According to Variety, this sum carries a great risk. Because the more expensive a film is, the more it must logically earn at the box office. A rule of thumb that is now somewhat outdated says: a film must earn at least twice its budget in order to make a profit in the end.
It is known that Joker 2 will have some musical influences and even popular genre films such as La La Land only grossed around 447 million Dollar . Only recently, a cinematographer involved in Joker 2 made it clear that the film will not be a pure musical.
It is quite possible that those responsible now want to actively counteract the image of the film as a musical – knowing full well what this could mean for its success at the box office.
It has already paid off for the stars
For two people, Joker 2 is already a complete success: Joaquin Phoenix, who once again plays the Joker, is set to collect a fee of 20 million dollars. His co-actress Lady Gaga, who presumably plays the psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, will still go home with 12 million dollars.
Joker2 budget is $200M 🃏
– Joaquin Phoenix’s salary – $20M
– Lady Gaga’s salary – $12M
– First film cost $60M(via @Variety) pic.twitter.com/swnNqPirmo
– Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) February 21, 2024
Joker 2 should therefore be one of the most exciting movie releases of the year, and not just on the big screen. Will the financial risk work out or is the DC film in danger of failing due to its big ambitions?
The answer to this question will be revealed on October 3, 2024 at the earliest. That’s when Joker: Folie à Deux opens in German cinemas. However, the film has nothing to do with the newly launched DC Universe (DCU for short) under the direction of James Gunn – it won’t be released until 2025 with Superman: Legacy.
Are you already looking forward to Joker 2? What are your hopes for the sequel in terms of plot and how did you like the first Joker? Would you be bothered by the supposed musical elements or do you think they represent a welcome and unusual change for the superhero genre? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
