A new report points fingers at Joaquin Phoenix for the disappointing results of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, some sources are blaming Phoenix for the movie’s poor reception. They claim the idea for the sequel came from a dream Phoenix had, and he then worked on it with director Todd Phillips. They pitched the idea to Warner Bros.’ then-chairman, Toby Emmerich. One source even said that the movie is made ‘for Joaquin,’ not for a broad audience.
Phoenix or Phillips didn’t release any comment on these claims.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ has struggled at the box office despite the excitement around its release. Critics are divided, and many have mixed feelings about how the movie ends.
The original ‘Joker’ was a huge success at the box office in 2019. This likely pushed the studio to move forward with a sequel. The plan was to only make one ‘Joker’ movie, but the surprise success of the first film encouraged Warner Bros. to greenlight a second. This decision goes beyond just Phoenix’s influence as the studio hoped for another financial hit.
Philips, on the other hand, has no intention to continue with another ‘Joker’ movie.
