Arthur Fleck is singing and dancing his way to Max this month. Joker: Folie à Deux will be available to stream on Max starting on Friday, December 13. It will then make its HBO linear debut at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 14.
Polarizing doesn’t even begin to describe Joker: Folie à Deux. Most audiences and critics completely rejected Todd Phillips’ musical. In his two-star review for Digital Trends, A.A. Dowd wrote: “The Joker sequel is unlikely to satisfy old fans or convert new ones.”
Two years after murdering Murray Franklin on live television, Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) has been committed to Arkham State Hospital, where he awaits his trial. Joker has been elevated to hero status in Gotham, but Arthur suffers from an identity crisis inside Arkham. Arthur’s outlook on life changes after meeting fellow patient Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). The duo expresses their love through song and dance as Arthur “finds the music that’s always been inside him.”
Besides Phoenix and Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux stars Brendan Gleeson as Jackie Sullivan, Catherine Keener as Maryanne Stewart, Steve Coogan as Paddy Meyers, Harry Lawtey as Harvey Dent, and Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond. Besides directing, Phillips co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver based on characters from DC.
While Joker became a resounding success, Folie à Deux will go down as a critical and commercial failure. The Joker sequel has a “D” Cinemascore and a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. Made on an estimated $200 million budget, Folie à Deux grossed $206 million worldwide. Warner Bros. is expected to lose up to $200 million on Folie à Deux.
