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Joker and Harley Quinn dancing in Joker 2 trailer
Screenshot via Warner Bros.

Joker 2 Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Worrying For Folie à Deux’s Fate

One of the most anticipated movies of 2024 is Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019’s billion-dollar DC Comics film Joker, but if early Rotten Tomatoes reviews are any indicator, the sequel may be in trouble.

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What is the Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Joker 2

Harley Quinn stares into Joker's eyes.

After premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival one month before its wide theatrical release, Joker: Folie à Deux has received a Rotten Tomatoes’ score of 62% from 47 professional reviews. Though the score is sure to change as more critics see the film closer to its early October release, the mixed critical reaction starts the movie off on an awkward note. More tellingly, the negative reviews echo some of the concerns potential audiences have had with Joker: Folie à Deux ever since its musical premise was confirmed.

Among the more common criticisms towards Joker: Folie à Deux is the script, which has been regarded as underdeveloped, especially given the 138-minute runtime — longer than Joker by more than ten minutes. The worst reviews levied at Folie à Deux so far suggest the sequel is “bad on purpose,” while even more positive reviews admit that the sequel is “challenging” and “odd.” On a more positive note, reviews have singled out for praise the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as the Joker and Harley Quinn, respectively.

How This Compares to the First Joker’s Rotten Tomatoes Score

Joker smokes in his dressing room

In defense of Joker: Folie à Deux, 2019’s Joker similarly saw a divisive response from critics and received only a marginally better Rotten Tomatoes score overall. That score ended up as 69% from 601 professional reviews. While the movie’s tone and Phoenix’s performance were both widely praised (with Phoenix eventually earning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2020), the overall story and its execution received a more middling response.

Audiences responded much more favorably than critics to Joker, catapulting the viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes to 89%, celebrating Phoenix’s performances and the movie’s themes on social oppression and mental illness. When it came to the true metrics that studios care about, money, Joker got the last laugh, earning over $1 billion at the worldwide box office on a reported production budget of $55 million.

What This Means for Joker 2

Joker and Harley Quinn Go Down The Stairs In Joker Folie A Deux

The mixed critical reception for Joker didn’t have any discernible impact on its audience attendance or award season accolades, and it’ll be interesting if that holds true for Joker: Folie à Deux. The sequel’s dynamic between Phoenix and Gaga already has its share of curious fans, especially coming off Phoenix’s award-winning turn. The biggest factor leaving the sequel’s audience reception and box office success up in the air is its musical premise, something the cast and crew have publicly downplayed leading up to the wide release.

Still, for those on the fence, especially those who didn’t enjoy Joker as much as their peers, this mixed early buzz might signal that Folie à Deux is more of the same, just with a musical twist. I think it’s safe to say that Joker: Folie à Deux stands a strong chance of at least becoming a success at the box office, albeit one with a smaller profit margin given the production’s substantially larger budget. But in terms of matching or topping Joker’s 2019 box office haul? That seems much less likely to come to pass.


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Author
Image of Sam Stone
Sam Stone
Sam Stone is a longtime entertainment news journalist and columnist, covering everything from movies and television to video games and comic books. Sam also has bylines at CBR, Popverse, Den of Geek, GamesRadar+, and Marvel.com. He's been a freelance contributor with The Escapist since October 2023, during which time he's covered Mortal Kombat, Star Trek, and various other properties. Sam remembers what restful sleep was. But that was a long time ago.