Despite the big budget of Joker: Folie à Deux, a new report says Warner Bros. chose not to do any test screenings for the movie. The first Joker movie was a huge hit, earning over $1 billion and becoming the top-grossing R-rated film ever until Deadpool and Wolverine took the spot. While the first movie was supposed to be a one-time thing, a sequel was made because the studio wanted to build on its success.
One reason the first Joker made so much money was its low budget of $55 million. Warner Bros. had more confidence this time and gave Joker 2 a much bigger budget of $200 million. The studio is taking big risks, especially since this sequel is a musical—a bold and unusual choice for following such a global hit.
According to a report from Matt Belloni’s Puck newsletter, Warner Bros. might have been too confident, as they chose not to have test screenings despite the movie’s huge cost.
Test screenings don’t always guarantee a film’s success, but skipping them is risky too. The first Joker was a big hit, but there’s no promise that the sequel will do just as well, especially if people don’t like it. With early reactions and the buzz around Joker: Folie à Deux’s controversial ending, Warner Bros.’s decision to skip test screenings could end up costing the studio millions.
What Joker: Folie à Deux’s Declined Test Screenings Means For The Movie?
As mentioned before, test screenings can give mixed results. For instance, early test screenings for The Flash were very positive, but when the movie was released, reactions were mixed, and it flopped. By skipping test screenings for Joker 2, Warner Bros. is relying entirely on critics and audience word-of-mouth, which, so far, is leading to bad results.
Joker: Folie à Deux is not starting well. The movie earned only $7 million from its Thursday night previews, which is nearly 50% less than what the first Joker made. On top of that, word-of-mouth is very bad.
Joker 2 has a 36% critic score and a very low 36% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This suggests the movie might not do well in theaters because many people may avoid it due to the bad reviews. Warner Bros.’ choice to skip test screenings seems to be backfiring and could lead to another box office failure for DC.
Test screenings aren’t always needed, but skipping them for Joker: Folie à Deux was a bad choice. While the first Joker was successful, it didn’t win over everyone and divided audiences when it came out. Joker 2 takes an even bigger risk by adding musical elements. This bold move should have been tested with audiences before finishing the film, as early feedback could have helped the studio see if the idea would work.
Many movies go through reshoots or changes after poor test screenings, and Joker 2 could have benefited from that. Some of the musical scenes don’t add much to the story, and both critics and audiences agree that they could have been shortened.
Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn also didn’t get enough screen time, and test screenings might have led to reshoots to include more of her. It’s surprising that the studio, that canceled Batgirl, didn’t want more feedback on Joker: Folie à Deux before releasing it, and now that decision could lead to serious problems.
Source: Twitter