Joker: Folie a Deux Flops: What Went Wrong?

Warner Bros. was hoping for another big hit with "Joker: Folie a Deux." However, it seems like their gamble didn't pay off. After the massive success of the first "Joker" movie in 2019, which cost only $55 million, the studio gave director Todd Phillips a much bigger budget of $200 million for the sequel. But so far, the film has only made $53.8 million domestically and $166 million globally, which is far from the expectations. Critics and audiences aren't impressed, and it's unlikely the movie will make back its huge budget or the additional $100 million spent on marketing and distribution. This isn't the only expensive movie to struggle at the box office this year. Many other studios, including Universal, Lionsgate, and Sony, have spent hundreds of millions on blockbusters that didn't perform well. While flops are common in the movie industry, 2024 has been especially tough due to unique challenges like the rise of streaming and a changing moviegoing public. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, explains that 2024 has seen more creative misfires and financial failures than usual. The growth of streaming services has led to movies being released to homes much faster, which can make people less likely to go to theaters, especially if the reviews aren't good. This shift is making it harder to judge what counts as a successful movie. Some movies might do well on streaming even if they flop in theaters. For companies like Netflix, Amazon, or Apple, big-budget films going straight to streaming might not be a big deal. But for traditional media companies that rely on box office success, shareholders still want to see big returns from theaters.

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