Just In: I Don’t Like Them as Actors’: Taxi Driver Writer Shreds Joker 2, Joaquin Phoenix & Lady Gaga…. Read More

The need for a sequel to 2019’s Joker was always questioned ahead of the release of the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, yet Warner Bros. Discovery had faith in the second installment following the success of the original. Unfortunately, the sequel failed to land, and it’s free-falling at the box office less than two weeks since its premiere.

Bombed by negative reviews, Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader is the latest person to criticize the sequel. Schrader revealed during an interview with Jeremy O. Harris for Interview Magazine that he went to see the film, but couldn’t last long, and left twice. The Academy Award-nominated writer had further criticism not only for the sequel but the lead actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

Schrader explained that “I see who’s coming up,” and that he usually goes to see films at the theater. When it comes to Joker: Folie à Deux, he didn’t have many good things to say about it. “I saw about 10 or 15 minutes of it,” he explained. “I left, bought something, came back, saw another 10 minutes. That was enough.” As Harris noted that he loves musicals, Schrader continued, “Well, that’s what Joker is, kind of. It’s a really bad musical.”

He further explained that he didn’t like Phoenix or Lady Gaga. “I don’t like either of those people. I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door

He further denied that he would ever do anything Marvel-related or big-budget films. “The closest I got to it, and I realized it really wasn’t for me, was when I tried to do the prequel to The Exorcist with Stellan Skarsgård.”

The 2019 Joker was a major critical and commercial success. It broke multiple records, and it became the highest-grossing R-rated film as it passed the $1 billion threshold. It also won many awards, with Joaquin Phoenix taking home the Best Actor accolade for his role as the lead character, Arthur Fleck. However, what made the first film special was what brought down the sequel.

There are many reasons why the Joker sequel was unnecessary, especially as it doesn’t come to build on the first, but rather drag it down. Todd Phillips’ Joker was inspired by the DC Comics supervillain. However, the director took his own approach to the character, making Arthur Fleck a more grounded story in his mental health battle and the societal stigma around his afflictions. However, Joker: Folie à Deux came to deconstruct all of that. Naturally, the sequel seemed not to understand its audience as it was turned into a musical, which alienated many of the first film’s fans.

Joker: Folie à Deux had a much bigger budget than the first, Warner Bros. Discovery allowing Phillips and Phoenix to make the sequel on a budget of $190 million. The Hollywood rule of thumb is a film needs at least twice its budget to start making profit and, unfortunately, Joker 2 is nowhere near getting its investment back. Almost two weeks since its release, the film grossed only $165.6 million worldwide, and it’s already heading to digital less than a month since its premiere.

Paul Schrader isn’t the only one who has a negative opinion about the film. The sequel currently holds disappointing Rotten Tomatoes scores, earning respective critics’ and audience scores of 33% and 32%.