Why is Joker 2 being released onto streaming so early?-Joel Harley-Entertainment – Metro

Joker: Folie àDeux failed to win over the viewers (Picture: AP)

Joker: Folie à Deux is set to appear on digital release less than a month after it was first released in cinemas.

The comic book sequel came out in the UK on October 4, 2024 – but initial reactions weren’t kind to Todd Phillips’ return to the world of Gotham City and inner turmoil of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix).

Where some might have expected this follow-up to continue Joker’s rise to infamy, the director instead chose to subvert expectations, turning in a slow, miserable film that was part courthouse drama, part musical.

While this shocking new direction won Folie à Deux some fans, it struggled to gain the same traction as its predecessor, languishing with a stinking 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film was a disappointment by most benchmarks, reportedly losing around$70,000,000 (£53.5m) at the box office during its first few weeks of release.

The sequel, which stars Lady Gaga as Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel, has limped back down the steps to an early digital release, dropping on November 4, not even a month after its cinematic debut.

Like Arthur Fleck, the film took a beating (Picture: AP)

As bad word of mouth spreads like Smylex gas, the film is unlikely to gain any further traction in the box office – meaning that its time in cinemas is all but finished.

Furthermore, with the film being pushed out of screens by Tom Hardy threequel Venom: The Last Dance, Warner Brothers rushed forward a digital release for the film, which already comes out tomorrow in the US.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the film will become available for Premium Digital Ownership and Rental on November 4, later releasing on 4K UHD Limited Edition Steelbook, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on December 16.

In doing so, the film may hope to recoup some of its money back while it still can.

Hardcore fans weren’t satisfied with where the film took its characters (Picture: AP)

Fans of the character took the early release of a sign that the film had failed and flocked to social media to unpack the decision behind the sudden digital debut.

‘Wow. This movie is going through quite a downfall,’ Reddit user PLUX4 said.

‘Just a few days more when the Borderlands movie went to digital. This is the fate of bad movies and the right call,’ DMAN3431 replied, invoking the name of the similarly hated Jamie Lee Curtis-starring videogame adaptation.

‘Called it bombing months ago. The musical aspect while some say it could’ve worked, I doubt it. Maybe as a Broadway play like they kinda wanted to do but should’ve treated it like a sequel to that first joker movie [sic],’ Regulusxleo wrote.

‘The movie itself isn’t bad, people just don’t like what it did to their precious character. Ultimately the result of this bombing will be more cookie cutter nonsense,’ Snacksandsoda agreed.

Folie àDeux features Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn… kind of (Picture: Warner Bros/BACKGRID)

This is the latest brutal blow for Folie à Deux, which many described as ‘thunderously dull’ and ‘a stain on the genre’.

Not even Batman managed to deal the Joker such a thorough drubbing.

However, this isn’t to say that the film isn’t without its fans as some (Metro included!) enjoyed the film’s subversion of what had come before – such as celebrity fan Roy Keane.

Roy Keane has leapt to the Joker’s defence (Picture: The Overlap)

Ahead of filming the latest episode of The Overlap with Ian Wright, Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, the Manchester United ace gave the sequel his seal of approval.

‘Have you seen Joker yet?’ he asked the group. ‘The second one? Hey, it’s brilliant.’

‘It’s not getting good reviews though is it?’ Ian questioned.

‘I’m giving you the review!’ Roy exclaimed. ‘Go and see it, it’s brilliant. Is it a musical? I wouldn’t go that far.’

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