'Joker 2' is slow but steady; collects ₹11cr in 5-days
What's the story
After getting mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, Joker: Folie a Deux, a dark musical spinoff for the infamous Batman villain, got its results for the North American box office debut.
It raked in an estimated $40 million over the weekend.
However, this figure pales compared to its predecessor's (Joker) opening of $96.2 million in 2019.
In India, Sunday's haul stood at ₹1.53cr, taking its total collection to ₹10.99cr (per Sacnilk) after five days.
Underperformance
'Joker 2' underperformed initial projections, received poor reviews
The sequel to Todd Phillips's 2019 origin story about Batman's nemesis was estimated to post a $70 million debut in its home circuit. But it has come off around $30 million short.
Reviews have been mixed since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it got a 12-minute standing ovation. According to experts cited by Deadline, maybe premiering independently (skipping the festival) would have worked better for the movie.
Challenges
'Joker 2' struggled with budget issues and poor audience reception
The film's Rotten Tomatoes score fell from 63% at Venice to 33% by its first weekend in theaters, making it one of the lowest-rated DC movies.
Audience reviews were equally disappointing, with ticket buyers polled on opening night giving the film a deadly D CinemaScore.
"That's a double whammy that's very difficult to recover from," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, told AP.
Finances
'Joker 2' production costs and global earnings
The sequel cost at least double the first film to produce, though reported figures vary.
While the director told Variety that it was less than the reported $200 million; others have kept it at $190 million.
Warner Bros. released the film in 4,102 locations in North America, with 12.5% of its US total coming from 415 IMAX screens.
Globally, it has earned $81.1 million from around 25,788 screens, bringing its total global earnings estimate to $121.1M.
Expansion
'Joker 2' to open in Japan and China
In the next two weeks, Joker 2 is set to open in Japan and China.
Meanwhile, Universal and DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot took second place at the box office with $18.7 million in its second weekend.
Warner Bros.'s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice secured third place in its fifth weekend, Paramount's Transformers One landed fourth, and Universal's Speak No Evil completed the top five.