The sequel to ‘Joker’ made history as the first comic book movie to get a “D” grade from CinemaScore, which is just a bit worse than the “D+” given to Francis Ford Coppola’s movie ‘Megalopolis,’ which didn’t do well at the box office.
That’s what Francis Ford Coppola wanted to say in a social media post on Saturday. While his new movie ‘Megalopolis‘ isn’t doing well in theaters, he supported Todd Phillips, who made the sequel to ‘Joker,’ which is also having a tough time.
The new ‘Joker’ movie, which is opening in theaters worldwide this weekend, is not doing as well as people expected. It’s the first comic book movie to get a D grade from CinemaScore. The audience’s disappointment isn’t shocking since this sequel is a musical, a strange mix that some superhero fans may not have liked.
Coppola says he has always been impressed and entertained by Phillips’ movies. He also thinks that people might not be ready for a movie like ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’
That’s a little worse than the D+ that ‘Megalopolis’ got when it hit theaters last weekend. Coppola’s futuristic epic made only $4 million, even though it cost $120 million to produce, not counting marketing costs.
Since no big studio wanted to support the movie, Coppola had to find the money himself, even using some of his own.
Lionsgate stepped in at the last minute to help distribute the film, but it’s now expected to make less than $1 million this weekend.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is a mix of a superhero story and a musical starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
See More: Joaquin Phoenix Says Lady Gaga ‘Spit Up’ Coffee When She Heard Him Sing: ‘Made Me Feel Confident’
After the first ‘Joker’ movie made $1 billion worldwide in 2019 and got many Oscar nominations, including a win for Phoenix as Best Actor, it was easy for Phillips to get the sequel made. The first movie cost $55 million before marketing, but the sequel cost a lot more—around $190 to $200 million.
When ‘Folie à Deux’ was first predicted to open three weeks ago, it seemed like it would make around $70 million, less than the $96 million made by the first movie but still pretty good. However, as reviews came out and people started seeing the movie, interest and predictions dropped.
Just before its opening weekend, the movie is expected to make between $50 million and $60 million.
Based on Friday’s first-day earnings of $20 million, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux‘ is expected to make between $40 and $45 million in its opening weekend (some studios even think it might be as low as $38 million).
Coppola and Phillips share more than just a “D” CinemaScore. Coppola said on Instagram that he’s honored that the ‘Joker 2’ cinematographer, Lawrence Sher, was inspired by Coppola’s 1981 musical ‘One From the Heart.’
Although ‘One From the Heart’ was a flop and almost caused Coppola’s studio to go bankrupt, it has become a cult favorite among some critics.
Both ‘Megalopolis’ and ‘Joker 2’ haven’t been well-received by reviewers, with only 46% and 33% critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Source: THR