Joaquin Phoenix’s Film Shows No Progress

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s film Joker: Folie a Deux released in India on October 2. While the film had a decent opening at the box office, it struggled to maintain the success streak in the next few days. After minting ₹1.6 crore and ₹1.5 crore on the weekend, Joker 2 witnessed a major drop in its earnings on the first Monday. The film grossed ₹66 lakh on October 7, reported Sacnilk. Its total collection now stands at ₹ 11.47 crore. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie a Deux is a sequel to the 2019 hit movie, Joker. The film also features Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Zazie Beetz in significant roles.

Ahead of Joker: Folie a Deux release, Joaquin Phoenix credited the film’s crew for his on-screen performance. “I feel I get the credit and benefit of other people’s hard work you may not see. It’s flattering, but I also get embarrassed. There were so many other people that were working. Their creativity made it appear like I’m the only one that has given everything. It’s so nice to hear (the praise), and thank you for saying that. But I feel I have to correct people. I feel embarrassed,” the actor said in an interview with Critics Choice.

In the same interview, Lady Gaga talked about her reasons for accepting the role in Joker: Folie a Deux. She said, “I did this movie because I really believed in Arthur Fleck’s story from the first Joker film. I loved what Todd (director) did and also Joaquin’s performance. And this was the next step in his journey.”

The singer-actress added, “There are people in society who get pushed to the side and diminished and treated poorly systematically because they may have a mental health issue. That was meaningful to me. It’s a seed, and I wanted to know where we go next.”

The 2019 film Joker centred on Joaquin Phoenix’s character Arthur Fleck, who is a failed comic. He eventually turns into a lunatic and changes the course of events for Gotham City. The sequel continues where the first one left off, with Arthur being detained in an Arkham facility. While he awaits trial for his crimes as the Joker, Arthur battles his split personality and discovers his true love Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga).

Joker: Folie a Deux premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024. The film had an early release in India. The movie made its worldwide debut on October 4.