Joker: Folie à Deux’s box office didn’t quite laugh its way to the bank — and Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, is taking note.
The film, released October 2024, grossed $204.7 million worldwide but fell short of making a major impact compared to its predecessor.
Addressing analysts on Nov. 7, Zaslav acknowledged the need for “more consistency” in the company’s studio releases, calling Folie à Deux a “disappointing” outcome.
“Even in an industry of hits and misses, we must acknowledge that our studios business must deliver more consistency,” he said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Inconsistency also remains an issue at our motion picture studio, as reinforced recently by the disappointing results of Joker 2,” he added, per Variety.
But it’s not all grim at Warner Bros.
Zaslav highlighted some of the year’s major successes, including Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which earned nearly $450 million, and the runaway hit Barbie. He also shared that the TV division is “on track to have its more profitable year in scripted content in five years.”
Adding to Folie à Deux’s woes, it received a D CinemaScore — the lowest ever for a comic book movie, faring worse than 2015’s Fantastic 4. For perspective, the original Joker earned a B+ in 2019, while this year’s Madame Web and Borderlands managed slightly higher scores, a C+ and D+, respectively.