Despite the costly budget of Joker: Folie a Deux, a new report claims Warner Bros. elected not to have any test screenings for its latest comic book film. The first Joker was a stunning success for Warner Bros. and DC. The villain origin movie grossed over $1 billion and was the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time before recently being passed by Deadpool & Wolverine. While the first movie was originally meant to be a one-off, a sequel was green-lit as the studio wanted to bank on the franchise's success.
Custom image by Ross Tanenbaum
Part of what made the first Joker so profitable was its low budget of $55 million. Warner Bros. had more faith in Joker 2 and gave it a budget of $200 million. The studio is taking many risks with this film as it's also a musical, a strange but bold choice for a follow-up to a global success. According to a report on Matt Belloni's Puck newsletter, Warner Bros. may have put too much faith into its gamble as it declined test screenings, despite the film's massive price tag.
Despite the risky musical element and dry courtroom sequences, I’m told Warners declined to test screen Folie à Deux to get audience feedback before Phillips locked the film. That’s quite a tightrope to walk on the studio’s most expensive movie of the year.
Test screenings aren't always the most reliable tools for studios to predict a film's success, but it's also a gamble to avoid them. The first Joker was a hit, but there is no guarantee that the sequel will be as successful, especially if audiences don't like it. Based on early results, Warner Bros' decision to decline test screenings could cost the studio millions.
What Joker: Folie à Deux's Declined Test Screenings Means For The Movie
Poor word-of-mouth for Joker 2 could keep viewers away from theaters
As stated previously, test screenings can lead to mixed results. For example, early test screenings for The Flash were incredibly positive, but the film's reception when it came out was mixed and the film ultimately flopped. Since Warner Bros. declined test screenings for Joker 2, they are at the mercy of critics and audience word-of-mouth, which, so far, is leading to disastrous results.
Joker: Folie à Deux is not off to a hot start. The film only earned $7 million from its Thursday night previews, almost 50% less than the original, and word of mouth is terrible to put it lightly. Joker 2 currently holds a 36% critic score and a strikingly low 36% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This indicates the sequel won't have great box office legs, since poor word-of-mouth means many hesitant viewers will likely avoid it. Warner Bros' decision to avoid test screenings is currently backfiring and could lead to another DC box office flop.
Our Take On Joker: Folie à Deux Not Having Test Screenings
Warner Bros. may lose millions by not getting early feedback from audiences
Test screenings aren't necessary for every movie, but it was a bad decision for Joker: Folie à Deux to decline them. While the first Joker was a success, it wasn't beloved by everyone and polarized audiences when it first came out. Joker 2 is an even bigger swing than the first, deciding to add musical elements into the film. This type of bold filmmaking needed to be assessed by audiences before being finalized as early reactions could have indicated to the studio whether this works.
Many films often have reshoots or recuts after poor test screenings, and Joker 2 could have used another look. Many of the musical numbers are unnecessary to the film's narrative, and many critics and audiences agree that they could have been trimmed down. Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn was also surprisingly underutilized in the film and test screenings could have led to reshoots that added more of her to the film. Surprisingly, the studio that canceled Batgirl didn't want more feedback on Joker: Folie à Deux before its release, and that decision is leading to potentially disastrous consequences.
