Hyderabad: Todd Phillips' much-anticipated musical Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix and pop icon Lady Gaga, hit Indian cinemas on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, ahead of its global release on October 4. Despite the film's early release in India, which coincided with a public holiday, its box office performance was underwhelming, earning just Rs 5 crore on its opening day, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
The film, a sequel to the 2019 Joker, where Phoenix portrayed the iconic Batman villain Arthur Fleck, failed to meet the lofty expectations set by its predecessor. The movie has received mixed to negative reviews from audiences and critics, with many expressing disappointment over its direction and narrative choices. Social media has become a platform for moviegoers to air their thoughts on the film.
On the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), one user shared harsh criticism and wrote, "They say don't believe people's reviews but go and see the movie for yourself so I went to see #Joker2 and honestly if I didn't go I wouldn't have realized that it wasn't really a bad movie but the worst movie of the decade. #JokerFolieADeux #JokerMovie."
Another user voiced dissatisfaction by comparing the film unfavourably with other poorly received superhero films: "So you thought #Daredevil movie was pointless, #IronMan3, #WolverineOrigin was vandalizing the source material. #GhostRider, #GreenLantern were simply bad movies. Then watch #joker2, and you'll appreciate all the movies you hated."