“Joker 2” receives a “D” CinemaScore

“Joker: Folie à Deux” fails after receiving a “D” CinemaScore, the lowest grade the research firm has ever given to a comic book film.

The previous record holder was 2015's “Fantastic Four,” which received a “C-” CinemaScore. Meanwhile, “Folie à Deux's” predecessor, director Todd Phillips' original 2019 film “Joker,” received a grade of “B+” in a survey of early viewers by the market research firm.

Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of the eponymous Batman villain again in “Folie à Deux” and is now accompanied by Lady Gaga as the equally crazy Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn). While the first film was a dark character study that won Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor, Folie à Deux is a twisted musical and love story from the minds of Joker and Harley. The cast also includes Brendan Gleeson, Harry Lawtey, Catherine Keener and more.

“Folie à Deux” didn’t receive as many positive reviews as the first film. diversityOwen Gleiberman, the film's chief critic, wrote in his review: “'Joker: Folie à Deux'” may be ambitious and superficially outrageous, but at its core it is an overcautious sequel. Phillips made a film in which Arthur is really just poor Arthur; He doesn't do anything wrong and won't threaten anyone's moral sensibilities. In fact, he undoes the only good thing that ever happened to him – winning the love of Lee's Harley Quinn – because he denies the Joker within himself. He is now just a singing and dancing puppet clown living in his imagination. Is The Entertainment? I suspect audiences will still come out in droves to see “Folie à Deux.” But when it comes to bold mainstream filmmaking, it’s the revilers who have the last laugh.”

“Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opened in theaters Friday, grossed $20 million on its opening day. Going into the weekend, “Joker 2” was expected to gross $50 million to $65 million at the box office in its debut, but now Warner Bros.'s film is likely to open below those projections.