Just one day after Nikki Glaser unceremoniously roasted it at the Golden Globes, Joker: Folie à Deux has found an unexpected fan in the form of Hairspray director, John Waters. 

In case you missed it, Glaser — who served as the host of the glitzy ceremony — took square aim at the Todd Phillips sequel during her opening monologue. After making light of the almost uniformly negative fan and critic reactions to Folie à Deux, the comedian joked about the absence of the film’s cast and crew at the event, since it was glaringly omitted in all categories. “Where’s their table?” Glaser asked, “Oh, they’re not here, that’s right.” While it was met with a smattering of laughter from the audience, not everyone took the joke so lightheartedly. 

In a recent interview published in Paper Magazine, Waters — who directed the original 1988 Hairspray that was later adapted into the 2007 movie musical — was asked his thoughts on Folie à Deux. Perhaps given his musical roots, Waters declared that “the critics were wrong” about the Joaquin Phoenix-starring sequel, since “people don’t understand that they sing showtunes.” While he itted to “stupidly believ[ing] the critics” before watching, Waters said he changed his (show)tune after actually seeing Folie à Deux, praising it as “great and well-developed…I thought it was wonderful,” he said. 

Waters also extended his compliments to Phillips, saying he “like[s] that film director a lot” and that he “likes all his movies.” Alongside Folie à Deux and the first Joker — which earned him a 2019 Oscar nomination for Best Picture — Phillips’ credits include The Hangover comedy franchise and War Dogs.  To his argument, Waters cited fellow director Quentin Tarantino, who likewise defied critics when he said in October that he “really, really liked” Folie à Deux. “I read later that Quentin Tarantino really liked it, too,” Waters said, “so it definitely has its followers, but I think we’re a little too late to help with it.”

The reason Waters was even mentioned alongside Folie à Deux was because, last month, he included the sequel in his list of 2024’s best movies for Vulture. That inclusion made headlines of its own, but his other entries saw far more success at the Golden Globes than the Arthur Fleck vehicle. For instance, Waters included both Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist, which took home the wins for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Drama, respectively, as well as Babygirl, which scored a Best Actress nod for Nicole Kidman. 

Folie à Deux wasn’t the only subject of Glaser’s razor-sharp burns, with her monologue aiming at everyone from Ariana Grande to Timothée Chalamet and Stanley Tucci (with a hilarious Adam Sandler cameo to boot). Elsewhere, other buzzy moments from this year’s ceremony included Vin Diesel’s revival of a years-old beef with Dwayne Johnson, Sofia Vergara heckling Jodie Foster, and Andrew Garfield doing his darndest to break the internet for the eleven hundredth time. Oh, we also got an appearance from the winners of the Glen Powell and Chalamet look-alike contests… So, there’s that?

In of Folie à Deux, it seems the divisive film might’ve run its course, with Phillips telling The Hollywood Reporter that his “time in the DC Universe was these two films.” If it ever does come to fruition, you can bet your bottom dollar Waters will be first in line at the box office.

From Barbenheimer to ExorSwift, the ever-growing trend of two movies battling for box office supremacy is undoubtedly (and hilariously) becoming mainstream. But Terrifier 3 potentially suring Joker: Folie à Deux? Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Then again, when we flush out the individual differences of each project, it’s certainly hard to discount just how many similarities there are between Damien Leone’s blood-splattered gorefest and Todd Phillips’ less-than-desirable sequel. Seriously, Todd, we just did not need a sequel.

Now, any ionate horror or DC fan can spot the glaring similitude between Art the Clown and (Art)hur Fleck. Both are clowns, yes. Both are killers, also yes. But there’s one super-sized difference that’s growing hard to ignore, and that’s the comparison of each movie’s budget. While the third chapter in Leone’s Terrifier trilogy only required a budget of $4 million, Joker 2 cost a staggering $200 million to make happen — and still the reviews have squashed the film faster than a bug on a windshield.

As per Discussing Film, Terrifier 3 has a legitimate shot at outperforming Joker 2 at the box office this weekend, which definitely speaks volumes as to how dissatisfied the superhero community is in regards to the once-anticipated Joker sequel crashing and burning. At the time of this writing, the Lady Gaga vehicle currently holds a disastrous 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes. As for Terrifier 3? Well, it currently holds a 74% score, and it technically isn’t even available to the public audience yet.

So, why exactly is Terrifier 3 — a movie with a relatively feeble budget in regards to typical Hollywood greed — projected to perform significantly better than a DC movie? Could it be that the DC tag is simply not as powerful as it once was? Or, perhaps the superhero realm is feeling significant Joker fatigue given how often the character is depicted in entertainment media. 

That being said, one could argue that Terrifier’s expanding popularity simply continues to transcend new heights alongside the rise of the horror genre itself, which now has certainly ushered in a fresh-faced icon whose reputation is becoming as big as Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Now, that’s not to say the horror genre hasn’t experienced its own fair amount of fatigue over the years, especially in regards to an influx of clown-inspired horror flicks.

But to add a cherry on top of the scare-filled sundae, it’s equally possible that Terrifier 3 being banned in and causing a large portion of moviegoers to vomit in theaters has added an extra element of mystery and appeal to the feature. It’s a familiar phenomenon from the release of Terrifier 2 back in 2022, where queasy cinephiles proceeded to vomit and faint during theater showings of the gory sequel.

So, considering 2019’s Joker solidified an Oscar win for Joaquin Phoenix and the sequel needed millions of dollars to make, it’s unequivocally embarrassing that Phillips’ sequel is struggling so hard to compete with an up-and-coming slasher icon who quite literally rips the flesh off his victims and tosses salt in their wounds to make matters worse. What a guy, eh? Either way, it’s clear that there’s only room in this town for one clown — and his name is Art. Sorry, Arthur, but you’re old news.

Joker: Folie à Deux was Warner Bros. Discovery’s biggest bet in 2024 to capitalize on DC characters. However, the sequel’s record-breaking CinemaScore shows the movie is unprecedented in all the wrong ways.

Warner Bros. Discovery greenlighted a sequel to 2019’s Joker after the first movie did the unthinkable and crossed the barrier of $1 billion at the box office despite its R-rating and a modest $50 million budget. A sequel seemed like an easy bet for executives, but the excitement surrounding Joker: Folie à Deux has slowly faded over the months preceding its commercial release. Some fans were not happy with the musical direction director Todd Phillips had taken, while others were reasonably concerned about the poor reception of the movie by critics.

Even though Joker: Folie à Deux leaves some hopeful loose threads for a threequel to follow, things were not looking good for Warner Bros. Discovery. The sequel cost four times the first movie’s budget, and it’s unlikely it would ever near the same billionaire results as Joker. However, things are even worse than Warner Bros. Discovery could dread, as Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the worst-rated movies in history, according to CinemaScore.

What does a D CinemaScore mean for Joker: Folie à Deux?

For those who need a recap, CinemaScore is a market research firm that surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences. In other words, this score is made exclusively of the average viewer’s perception, free from review-bombing crowds or professional criticism. As such, CinemaScore is an excellent thermometer for measuring fans’ appreciation of any given movie and how much money it will haul in the weeks after its release.

Since CinemaScore company has provided these grades since 1978, any new release must do incredibly well or poorly to break any record. Nevertheless, that’s precisely what happened to Joker: Folie à Deux, as its D rating in CinemaScore puts the sequel in a league of its own, but not in the way DC Studios would have liked.

To put this into perspective, even widely panned superhero films like 2015’s Fantastic Four managed to scrape by with a C- CinemaScore. That film, unanimously considered a critical and commercial failure, now looks like a relative success compared to Joker: Folie à Deux. 

To make matters even worse, Folie à Deux has dethroned some of the biggest bombs of 2024. Borderlands and Megalopolis received a slightly higher D+ grade, and they both failed spectacularly at the box office. As if that didn’t already speak volumes, Joker: Folie à Deux is now the first movie with a budget exceeding $100 million to receive such a poor rating from audiences. Such a negative audience response will most likely lead to a sharp drop-off in ticket sales. So, despite a healthy opening weekend, Joker: Folie à Deux can still flop.

With that in mind, it’s curious to notice how James Gunn and Peter Safran didn’t want to put the DC Studios seal on Joker: Folie à Deux – the new studio’s logo is absent from the sequel’s credits. The movie was already in production before the duo was tasked with rebooting the DC cinematic universe, which could explain why DC Studios distanced themselves from Folie à Deux. However, the same is true about The Penguin, a critically acclaimed TV show that Reeves began to develop after the success of 2022’s The Batman. Yet, Gunn quickly praised it on social media, underlining how it is the first production bearing the DC Studios seal.

The joke becomes even funnier when we consider Gunn had seen Folie à Deux before it hit theaters. So, if he chose to keep some distance from Phillips’ sequel and DC Studios, that’s a clear sign he didn’t trust the final product. Who can blame him? From critics to the audience, no one has a smile on their faces after watching Joker: Folie à Deux.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Joker 2.

For all the controversy surrounding Joker: Folie à Deux, we have to hand it to Todd Phillips. The second entry to the Joker franchise was rather unexpected.

The title of the Joker sequel translates to madness shared by two, but that doesn’t even begin to describe the follow-up film. The first movie already takes DC continuity with a grain of salt. Instead of steeping the Crown Prince of Crime in mystery that he is famous for in the comics, Joker takes a hardlined approach to his backstory. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a disenfranchised man living with mental illness. The film can hardly be called Batman-adjacent, even when Thomas and Bruce Wayne make appearances. Joker is really a film that shows that the horribly cruel women in Arthur’s life are the reason for his unhappiness, so he may as well burn the whole world down. But whether the Joker’s crimes are because of aggressively misogynistic undertones, or the dance sequence of a convicted sex offender, Joker 2 doesn’t follow the same path — and almost for worse.

Joker 2 instead focuses on Arthur’s romance with fellow Arkham inmate, Harley Quinn, who just goes by Lee in the film. Portrayed by Lady Gaga, Lee turns out to be another woman who lies to Arthur. But that isn’t how the film ends. Instead of following down her road of delusional behavior, Arthur disconnects himself from the Joker persona only to meet a grisly end by the film’s conclusion.

Who is Young Inmate in Joker 2?

After the monumental mistake of representing himself in court, Arthur goes to prison only to be brutally stabbed by another inmate. Credited only as “Young Inmate,” there are many theories surrounding this character. Phillips has been upfront about hanging up his Joker hat, but many have been wondering whether Young Inmate is the real Joker. Could Arthur Fleck only be a precursor to the famous Batman villain? And if so, is the Young Inmate the one to challenge the Dark Knight? It may be some time before these questions get answered — if ever — but viewers do know who filled the shoes of this new character.

Young Inmate is played by Connor Storrie, whose few minutes of screen time flipped the entire movie on its head. Fans going into the Joker sequel may have been under the impression that they would get another pandering and half-baked villain story. But instead of a rallying cry, Arthur Fleck goes out with a whimper. Storrie has had few credits in shorts and independent films. But a role in a film that inspires heated discourse may give the actor traction in the entertainment industry. At the very least, he got to share a climactic scene with Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against all odds, the Joker sequel succeeded in keeping Batman continuity intact. This ending posits that the Joker we know from the comics may have yet to come out, leaving Matt Reeves’ The Batman safe from outside influences.

Joker: Folie à Deux closes the curtains for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, one of the most popular versions of the Clown Prince of Crime.  As it turns out, the sequel’s ending is so definitive that fans will wonder what its point is. Well, it’s complicated.

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux

Let’s recap the final moments of Joker: Folie à Deux. After spending two hours going back and forth with accepting he is the Joker, Arthur Fleck inspires the inmates of Arkham Asylum to rebel against the brutal guards. Since things get so heated with Joker’s trial, Ricky (Jacob Lofland), one of Joker’s irers, gets choked to death for singing a song ing Arthur. Arthur hears the whole ordeal and something flips inside his brain.

Feeling remorse for Ricky’s death, Arthur uses the last day of his televised trial to shun the Joker’s identity in public. He tells the cameras and the jury that there is no alter sharing his body, the Joker is a lie, and he’s the one responsible for the death and destruction he caused. That stance loses Arthur most of his ers, including Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). As it turns out, Arthur is meaningless to everybody, and all people care about is the killer clown he became in the first movie.

Arthur’s courtroom confession doesn’t come early enough to stop some of his followers from planting a car bomb outside the building. After the bomb explodes, Harry Lawtey’s Harvey Dent gets caught in the blast, and half his face is damaged. The hole in the wall also allows Arthur to escape. Outside, Arthur must flee the Joker fans who want to turn him into a symbol, a position he now refuses. Finally, he has a painful goodbye with Lee, who confesses she never loves him, just the Joker.

Arthur is recaptured and sent to Arkham to wait for his sentencing after being deemed guilty by the jury moments before the explosion. There, he has a fateful encounter with an unnamed inmate (Connor Storrie). This inmate tells a joke about a declining clown drinking alone in the bar when he meets a fan. The fan is displeased with how things ended up for the clown, as he used to ire him. 

The punchline of the joke is that the fan gets the clown “what he fucking deserves,” the same line Arthur used before shooting Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). Likewise, the punchline comes with a shiv for Arthur. As Arthur dies alone on the cold floor of Arkham, his killer laughs hysterically, grabs the shiv, and cuts a smile on his own face. Joker is dead. Long live Joker.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a meta-commentary on Joker’s fanbase

One criticism commonly leveled at Joker‘s revolves around Todd Phillips’ apparent disdain for comic books. In Joker, Phillips uses Gotham City as an excuse to shoot his version of 1982’s The King of Comedy. He keeps the comic book elements to such a minimum that the movie could unfold as it does, even if the main character were not the Clown Prince of Crime. In fact, that was Phillips’s declared goal. After all, he tried to avoid criticism for building a (too?) sympathetic psychopath by claiming Arthur Fleck was not the actual Joker, just an inspiration for the real deal.

Joker: Folie à Deux brings Phillips back full circle. He wants to tell the saddest story about the most sorrowful man but doesn’t want to deal with the repercussions of framing Joker’s bloody acts in a heroic light. So, he gives Arthur his redemption and immediately kills him. That way, he can bury once and for all the notion Arthur was the Joker.

To underline this, the unnamed inmate who kills Arthur even slashes his face to look like Heath Ledge’s Joker, viewed by many as the definitive version of the villain. In short, if Arthur had never been the Joker, Phillips has never been guilty of turning a deranged psychopath into a martyr of social revolution.

Joker: Folie à Deux’s disappointing journey is also a jab at fans. Lee and the masses who cheer for Joker want Arthur to embrace his devious personality. However, in the end, he’s just a broken man who did terrible things after losing control of his sanity. So, Arthur loses his followers. 

This dynamic mimics the real-life reception of Joker. Phillips is convinced that his first DC movie is a human tragedy and that the direct tie-in to the comic books is more wishful thinking from the fans than a consequence of the script he co-wrote. Someone should point out that he did staple “JOKER” in capital letters in the opening credit. So, he might have some responsibility for people coming to the shocking (!) conclusion that the movie was about the beloved villain. 

Well, Joker: Folie à Deux is Phillips’ way of having his cake and eating it, too. He wants to place himself above the divisive reception of Joker by shooting a story about how poor Arthur is nothing but a victim of society, and the fans who want him to be a villain are disillusioned. The fans are the real menace. Simultaneously, he ends up making the ending about the origin story of the real Joker because you have to give people what they want, right?

While there are many good arguments against and in favor of Joker, the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux is likely to disappoint. At least the fandom will be united again.

With Joker: Folie à Deux, co-writer and director Todd Phillips bids his farewell to DC. Still, he leaves enough breadcrumbs for another filmmaker to follow in Joker 3, in case the sequel makes enough money for Warner Bros. Discovery to push for a trilogy.

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

With Joker: Folie à Deux, Phillips wants to ensure everyone that his DC filmmaking journey has ended. That’s why he kills Arthur Fleck in a controversial ending that strokes Phillips’ ego while purposely angering Joker’s fans. That sounds like the end of an era, as there’s no way to imagine Joker 3 without Phoenix. However, artistic integrity never prevented Warner Bros. Discovery from going after more money. So, it’s fair to assume the death of a main character won’t stop them if Folie à Deux turns a considerable profit – a scenario that’s not too likely.

Nevertheless, there has been chatter about WBD’s CEO David Zaslov growing restless with James Gunn taking his time to cook the new DC Universe. Zaslov reportedly wants Batman, DC’s big money-maker, to appear sooner than Gunn planned and has apparently even suggested putting Matt Reeves’ version of the Dark Knight in the main DC Studios continuity.

Since Zaslav will probably face resistance from Reeves (who wants to keep things grounded) and Gunn (who plans to introduce clones and immortal assassins), Joker: Folie à Deux might be just the hook WBD needs to fish more Batman content. That’s because Phillips left some major loose threads in the sequel.

Joker: Folie à Deux introduces three major Batman villains

Joker: Folie à Deux revolves around the trial of Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. Thanks to its courthouse drama structure, the sequel can dive deep into Arthur’s motivations and discuss to what point he’s just a victim of society or a vicious killer. Ultimately, Arthur rejects the Joker persona, accepts the blame for his crimes, and disappoints his followers. 

One disgruntled Joker fan, an unnamed Arkham Asylum input, shivs Arthur for being such a disappointment. This inmate also slashes his face, laughing hysterically while carving a smile on his cheeks. The self-inflicted wounds are meant to echo the fan-favorite character design sported by Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Barry Keoghan, who plays Joker in Matt Reeves’ universe, also sports similar scars. So, with some retcon efforts, Warner Bros. Discovery might try to fit Joker and The Batman into the same canon, with a potential Joker 3 bridging the gap. Or the threequel can be a true origin story for the actual Joker.

At the end of Joker: Folie à Deux, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga) is also free to pursue her twisted dreams. She is obsessed with Joker but doesn’t care about Arthur, so his death shouldn’t linger on her mind. Joker 3 could explore Lee’s future in Gotham City as she keeps searching for a deranged soulmate or decides to rise to the occasion by herself. Who knows, maybe they could even commit to an actual musical with Gaga as the main star instead of the sluggish and cowardly approach Folie à Deux took for its musical scenes.

Joker: Folie à Deux also introduces a third Batman villain. Kind of. In the movie, recently elected District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) represents Gotham City in the case against Arthur Fleck. This version of Harvey has nothing to do with his comic book counterpart. However, the DA is caught in the blast of an explosion. He survives and has wounds on one side of his face, Phillips’ shy homage to Two-Face. Joker 3 could also explore the aftermath of Arthur’s trial and Dent’s road to villainy.

A threequel could work if they keep Joker 3 separated from Reeves’ The Batman and the DCU. Fingers crossed, WBD’s greed won’t taint multiple franchises.

Despite its commercial success, Joker has become a study case for meaningless style exercises and how not to make a political statement. Joker: Folie à Deux is a whole different beast. It’s unlikely the sequel will have the same commercial success.

In Joker, Arthur’s half-baked tantrum against the status quo led to violent protests that left a trail of destruction in Gotham City. So, after two years since his incarceration, Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) must stand trial for his crimes and answer for the chaos he unleashed. However, this time around, he is not alone. Arthur’s Joker persona has inspired the love and obsession of one Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a patient in Arkham Asylum who wants to help the Clown Prince of Crime achieve his full potential.

While Folie à Deux has a solid premise for a sequel, director and co-writer Todd Phillips is building his latest house of straw(men) over precarious foundations. After all, Phillips wanted Joker to be the tragic tale of a man pushed to the brink by a cruel society that ignores his mental health issues. That’s why the movie frames Arthur as a martyr despite his brutal crimes, spreading the weird message that cold-blooded murder is justified if people are rude to you. Folie à Deux focuses on these two irreconcilable sides of Arthur, both a victim and a deranged psychopath. In doing so, Phillips tries – and fails – to simultaneously backpedal and double down on his poor storytelling choices.

The first movie invites the audiences to cheer for Arthur and rejoice with his transformation into the Joker, the personification of his entitled wrath. By the time the credits roll, Arthur has embraced his madness and become a different man, one who fights back when people try to step on him. It’s no wonder so many spectators mistook Phoenix’s Joker for an anti-hero. Sadly for fans, Folie à Deux erases that transformation. 

During his stay in Arkham Asylum, Arthur reverts to his shy and frail state, constantly being beaten and abused by guards. So, once again, we are back to square zero, with Arthur suffering all sorts of cruelties from everyone around him. The only conclusion for this bizarre narrative choice is that Phillips thinks people unconvinced by Joker just need to spend more time seeing the titular character being tortured by his offensively repetitive script.

To justify this regression, Phillips introduces the idea of a double personality. Doctors think Arthur and the Joker could be two alters sharing a body instead of different stages of the same personality. The mystery of Arthur’s potential multiple personality disorder is what moves the plot of Folie à Deux forward, as his legal defense is based on insanity, while the Joker’s many followers want him to accept his violent side. In short, this movie retcons everything its predecessor did, just because Phillips wanted an excuse to shoot a courtroom drama where he breaks down the nature of Arthur’s murder spree.

Don’t be tricked by the trailers. Joker: Folie à Deux mostly takes place in the courthouse or Arkham Asylum, where Arthur returns after each day of his televised public trial. That’s a complex concept to pull in itself. However, Phillips is trying to follow up on a movie that, despite its many flows, has a good dose of action and well-shot set pieces. Trading the energy of Joker for long legal discussions is something that won’t go down well with fans. Plus, Phillips’ refusal to commit to any stance results in shallow dialogues and snail-paced court confrontations, which shows that the filmmaker doesn’t care to understand what makes courtroom dramas engaging.

The sluggishness of Joker: Folie à Deux is even more disappointing when we the movie was supposed to be a musical. In reality, calling Folie à Deux a musical is a stretch. Yes, characters constantly burst into song, but they often do so in a reserved manner, as if they would disturb the people around them if they sang a little louder. Alternatively, the few real musical numbers happen inside Arthur’s head, a fact that Phillips wants to underline at all costs. It’s like he’s determined to suck all the fun of Joker: Folie à Deux for the sake of making it as bleak as possible.

That’s a huge missed opportunity. With the Joker’s legacy in pop culture being so encrusted in the many different ways to go mad, turning Folie à Deux into a full-blown musical could allow the sequel to at least be entertaining. Imagine a competent filmmaker having a blast by conjuring all the wildest fantasies of Arthur’s mind, unburdened by the constraints of realism. That’s a movie worth watching! Instead, we get Folie à Deux, a film filled with songs presented so blandly that almost every musical scene blends as one monotone experience. There are a couple of exceptions. 

One specific scene focused on the Joker’s potential to inspire other people to go mad serves to show the threat Arthur could become. Another revolving around Arthur questioning his identity as the Joker is also great. Still, all these scattered inspired moments seem accidental when we take the whole for context. Plus, they force the audience to realize how much better Joker: Folie à Deux could have been.

If Joker: Folie à Deux doesn’t crash and burn despite the incompetence of its driver, that’s because its lead actor is constantly steering the wheel. Once again, Phoenix disappears inside Arthur Fleck’s scrawny body, putting every ounce of his talent into this performance. Sure, Folie à Deux still has the same lack of coherence as Joker regarding character progression, and Arthur’s transformation is even less earned in the sequel. But that’s a script we can’t pin on Phoenix. On the contrary! Given the dubious quality of the material he has to work with, it’s a wonder Phoenix can make every scene his own, giving Arthur emotional layers regardless of the aimless story.

Then we have Gaga. Despite the whole marketing campaign focusing on the fan-favorite relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn, Phillips is so embarrassed about doing a comic book movie that he insists on hiding her birth name and calling her “Lee.” As it turns out, Lee also lacks almost everything that people identify with Harley Quinn. There’s one mention of her studying psychiatry, but that never comes into play. Plus, the abusive dynamics of the couple are nowhere to be seen – which might be a blessing in disguise, as there’s little hope Phillips could tackle toxic relationships with tact. In the end, Lee’s entire personality is reduced to her obsession with the Joker, and even that is not properly explained.

As interesting as Gaga wants to make her Harley Quinn, she’s frequently sabotaged by having to play a one-note role. The fact she has the same purpose and similar dialogue lines in every scene in which she appears doesn’t help either. It’s still delicious to watch Gaga on the big screen, and even when trapped in a failed experiment like Folie à Deux, she’s still captivating. Unfortunately, even those of us who are gaga for the lady (this writer included) can agree there’s just so much raw talent can do to elevate a mediocre script.

Gaga is even more undermined given the quasi-musical structure of Folie à Deux. The singer has one of the most influential voices of her generation, and when a director decides to put it to good use, we get an unexpected gem such as A Star Is Born. Nevertheless, since Phillips is equally ashamed of doing a musical, all the song numbers lack the height and glamor Gaga deserved. She still knocks it out of the park whenever she can. Yet, these moments are far too sparse to clean the sour taste so many lackluster musical numbers leave in the mouth.

What about Harry Lawtey’s Harvey Dent? He’s only a generic district attorney with nothing to do with his comic book counterpart. Furthermore, he’s given absolutely nothing important to do in the movie. You can remove Harvey Dent entirely and still end up with the same story. It’s no wonder Lawtey’s performance is almost stoic, as he’s more than justified in just grabbing a check and leaving the set as soon as possible.

Finally, Lawrence Sher is the real star of Joker: Folie à Deux. His cinematography is nothing short of brilliant, and it helps both movies leave a mark. Without Sher, Joker and Folie à Deux would be easily recognizable as the narcissist works they are, cautiously built to stroke Phillips’ ego and nothing more.

Todd Phillips’ Joker is quite possibly the modern equivalent of Fight Club for all the new edgy Letterboxd watchlists. And while it might have taken itself a bit too seriously, becoming every pretentious cinephile’s movie of the decade, Joker still managed to land a second installment despite it all.

At this point, we’re just waiting for more teasers and trailers after months of seeing Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix filming the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, in Los Angeles and New York. And truth be told, with all the leaks, it feels like we already know half of what’s going to happen — even against our will. Regardless, we’re just a few months away from seeing the final result, and there are already questions looming around about the possibility of a third installment.

Is Joker 3 happening?

According to Todd Phillips, the director of both films, a third Joker movie is highly unlikely. In a recent interview with Variety, Phillips itted his reluctance to extend the story further. “I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world,” he said. While this isn’t an outright confirmation that Joker 3 won’t happen, it does suggest that there may simply be no more ideas on what they want to show the audience, and that they’ve decided to call it a day after Jolie à Deux hits theatres.

Phillips could easily take a simpler approach, like Marvel or DC, and choose to explore different timelines or storylines from the comics. However, Joker is hardly a stereotypical superhero movie, and milking it further might not be the best course of action for such an idiosyncratic film — in our opinion, that is. Martin Scorsese also knew when to end Taxi Driver, after all. Alright, we’re done with the jabs — for now.

After months of grueling anticipation and comic book movie restlessness, we’ve finally been rewarded with the first teaser trailer to Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux. And if the seemingly endless array of thought-provoking fan theories wasn’t at an all-time high before, then it certainly looks to be that way now.

As the pulse-pounding trailer makes its rounds all across social media — with special attention focused on that Oscar-worthy final frame — comic book enthusiasts, film buffs, and devoted theorists are all chiming in on what exactly each moment depicted in the trailer actually means for the future of this standalone franchise. And with the inclusion of pop superstar Lady Gaga starring in the flick as famed baddie Harley Quinn, it should hardly come as a major surprise that the theories are practically being ushered in from all angles.

But before the much-anticipated sequel is officially released to the public this October and sets the cinematic realm ablaze in time for spooky season, let’s dive in and explore the 5 juiciest plot theories for Joker: Folie à Deux.

The movie will introduce Batman

One of the most common fan theories circulating right now is the building feeling that the Joker sequel will officially introduce Batman as the crime-fighting vigilante we all know and love. And, of course, with a young Bruce Wayne appearing in the 2019 Joker during a confrontation with Arthur Fleck, it would make perfect sense to have Joker’s most obvious nemesis appear in the long-awaited sequel. And while the duo of Joker and Batman has certainly been done to death in entertainment media, we definitely wouldn’t be opposed to seeing their dynamic in this universe.

The music happens inside Harley Quinn’s head

Based on what we’ve seen in the teaser trailer, one major theory points at Folie à Deux being depicted from Harley Quinn’s POV — with the musical aspect of the movie happening inside her head. So while Harley is slowly falling in love with Arthur / Joker, then her singing to herself about this unexpected love feels like a brilliant move. And with a gifted talent such as Lady Gaga leading the charge, the musical numbers are sure to be more dazzling than comic book lovers might have initially expected.

Arthur and Harley have a child together

Considering the sequel seemingly heavily focuses on the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn, one of the theories that makes the most sense canon wise would be the birth of their son, Joker Jr. The revelation of Quinn being pregnant could come at any point in the movie — especially towards the end — which would undoubtedly be the perfect setup for a potential third movie down the line, and would explore the troublesome dynamic of Joker and Harley while trying to raise their son. It’s purely speculation at this point whether Joker Jr. would even be included, but the possibilities are seemingly endless right now.

There is more than one Joker

Based on subtle hints and moments in the trailer, one theory suggests that it’s incredibly possible that another Joker will take the spotlight in the sequel — becoming a copycat version of Arthur, and defying him in the process. Considering how massive Arthur Fleck’s Joker persona has become in Gotham, it wouldn’t be too surprising that there would be others out there trying to replicate his giant following. Another possibility is that Arthur meets a protégé whom he eventually coaches and turns into the Joker that we all truly know, aiding him in flipping Gotham upside down and setting his sights on an intense rivalry with Batman.

Arthur / Joker hallucinates Harley Quinn

Given the traumatic and abusive past of Arthur Fleck at the hands of his own mother and her ex-boyfriend, eagle-eyed viewers were certainly not too shocked when it was revealed in Joker that Arthur’s growing relationship with his neighbor, Sophie, was fully one-sided and imaginary. So with the sequel just a few months away, one of the most-discussed theories points at whether or not Arthur could be imagining Harley Quinn as the newest love in his complicated life. And while some moviegoers have already argued that this direction feels too obvious, others are fully convinced that Harleen Quinzel is set to be nothing but a figment of Fleck’s darkened thoughts.

2019’s Joker was a cultural phenomenon. There’s no two ways about it. Whether you loved the film or loathed it, there was something about the chilling origin story that sparked ongoing conversation. Joker grossed over a billion dollars, and was nominated for eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture (a first for a DC Studios) and Best Actor (which Joaquin Phoenix won).

There are a couple reasons why Joker is still so relevant today. One is the aforementioned performance by Phoenix, which received universal praise. Another is writer/director Todd Phillips, who brought a purposefulness and intensity that most viewers didn’t realize he was capable of. Phillips clearly took a layered approach to the storytelling in the film, but there are some things viewers have picked up on that the director has dismissed as being merely accidental.

One of the most notable examples of a pseudo Easter egg was posted on the Reddit thread DC_Cinematic. The Easter egg centers around the opening scene, in which Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) can be seen sitting at a table and applying clown makeup. It’s a powerhouse scene in of setting up Fleck’s psychological instability, but one eagle-eyed viewer noted that the shape above the character’s lead looks familiar. When highlighted with a green line, the two lamps and the dark room behind Fleck resemble the cowl of none other than Batman.

It’s a fun discovery, and it does, ittedly, look like Joker’s arch-nemesis. It would be an ingenious way of foreshadowing what Fleck will become, and how Bruce Wayne factors into the rest of his life, but there’s one problem: it’s not foreshadowing. It was a total coincidence that the shapes behind the character lined up the way they did. Phillips has made a point of telling fans that he did not leave easter eggs in Joker, because he didn’t want to take away from the emotional focus of the story.

“I don’t do Easter eggs,” the director told Collider. “Any Easter eggs anybody finds is a mistake. I don’t understand.” The only way an Easter egg made it into the film, he explained, would be “the art department sneaking something in that would make me crazy if I knew about it.” Phoenix echoed Phillips’ sentiment, likening the desire to find Easter eggs in the film to the “Paul is Dead” myth, which is a pop culture conspiracy about Paul McCartney dying in 1967, and clues about his death being hidden in various Beatles albums.

Phillips may have shot down the Batman outline in the opening scene, but there is one Easter egg he itted to putting in the film. When Fleck meets Bruce Wayne, the latter is shown sliding down the pole of his treehouse. The inclusion of the pole, according to the director, was a nod to the pole used in the Batman TV series from the 1960s.

“I get asked a lot if that’s an Easter egg, and I just don’t like that term Easter egg, but little Bruce there when he slides down the pole, was that an Easter egg to the Batman television series and yes in fact it was,” he told Cinemablend. “It was something we spoke about and thought ‘Oh yeah, why not do it.’ Without being too cute we don’t like to do a ton of that stuff, but it felt appropriate.”

There may not have been other intentional Easter eggs scattered throughout Joker, but that won’t stop viewers from looking. Who knows, maybe there are a few more happy accidents lurking in the background.

Todd Phillips has announced that filming for the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, has wrapped. And to celebrate, the director shared new images featuring DC’s iconic villainous couple.

The announcement was made on Phillips’ Instagram page, where he thanked everyone involved during the film’s filming stages, especially Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix for their incredible performances. He also stated that the film will now enter the editing stage and looks forward to putting the film together with the editors. Alongside the post were two new images. One was Lady Gaga staring, possibly at a mirror. The second is Phoenix in his Joker persona, clown makeup, and all.

“That’s a wrap. Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into a cave now (edit room) and put it all together.

Throughout the film’s production, images and videos for the movie were shared across social media, hinting at the possible events of the film. One video showed the burning of Arkham Asylum. Meanwhile, it was hinted that Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn will receive her own staircase moment.

Fortunately, it seems Phillips’ Joker films won’t be affected by the DCU’s pending reboot. James Gunn announced that Philipp’s projects will be part of “DC Elseworlds,” a different branch of DC films that aren’t part of the main story. So don’t expect Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga to meet the main DCU heroes anytime soon.

Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to come out in theaters on Oct. 4, 2024.

In a most ironic twist of fate, Joker 2 extras are accusing the movie producers of pulling a Jeff Bezos on them, with some of them reportedly working hours on end without getting a single bathroom break.

The cameras are rolling on the set of Todd Phillips’ hotly anticipated sequel, which is once again bringing Joaquin Phoenix back as Arthur Fleck aka Joker. The last time we saw the character, he murdered a late-night talk show host in cold blood and presided over city-wide protests in the streets.

It’s still unclear where Joker 2 is going to pick up the narrative, but considering the events of the original, which spawned a lot of heated debates over social inequality and class differences, it’s somewhat amusing to think that Todd Phillips and co. aren’t treating their extras with the respect they deserve.

Indeed, according to a report by TMZ, the Joker 2 extras have been berated over asking for bathroom breaks after long shoots. One person even had to explain to an assistant director why their business was urgent, which must have brought some not-very-fond memories of school classrooms back for them.

The SAG has received a complaint and is investigating a break time violation, though the production team has been cooperative through the process.

Warner Bros. might have a serious scheduling problem, as this isn’t the first time we hear of bathroom issues on the Joker set. During the filming of the original in 2018, extras criticized the company for denying them bathroom breaks, making us wonder if production is doing this on purpose at this point.