It’s claimed that ticket presales for Joker 2 are in the gutter and that the flick might be a massive flop along the lines of both The Marvels and The Flash.
The first Joker movie released in 2019 was a huge sleeper opening to nearly $100 million and going on to make a billion dollars at the box office.
Obviously with the big success of the first movie, it’s hoped the sequel will be just as good or better.
What are the Joker 2 box office estimates?
Box office estimates released last week have Joker 2 opening anywhere from $115M – $145M, which if that happens, would certainly be good news.
However, it’s claimed presales are so bad it could mean Joker 2 will open to half those numbers, which would be a complete disaster and on par with the disasters known as The Marvels and The Flash which finished runs at the box office of $206M, and $271M, respectively.
What is also not helping things (at least for the studio) is that the budget for Joker 2 reportedly ballooned to $200 million, while the budget of the first film is said to be only around $55 million.
Update: The latest box office tracking now says $70M+.
What are the Joker 2 presales?
The Joker 2 presales info comes via Empire City Box Office.
No idea where they get their numbers from, but the X account claims Joker 2 presales are so bad it’s looking like a possible $40M-$50M opening.
Man this has pissed tons of people off. Unfortunately numbers are what they are no matter how much you want films to succeed. In reality, I have been nice to @jokermovie as many other trackers have it under $5m Thurs previews and a $40m-$50m opening if that doesn't change soon. https://t.co/nxRF3k2YDt
— EmpireCity Box Office (@EmpireCityBO) September 12, 2024
First Joker had solid presales
Worth a mention is that tickets went on sale on Monday and none of the movie tickets sites have announced anything.
When the first Joker opened in 2019, Atom Tickets announced Joker ticket presales were beating Venom and It: Chapter 2, and Deadline reported that it looked like Joker would open to at least $80 million. Well, Joker went on to open bigger at $96 million.
I did check a couple of my local theaters, and sure enough, presale tickets seem to be super low. A Thursday preview at a Regal RPX theater actually has zero tickets sold.
Question: Do people buy presale tickets and is that a factor in the movie’s success???
Rotten Tomatoes similar to first movie
I think what is going on, and it’s much like every other movie released as of late, fans are waiting on word-of-mouth.
Regarding the Rotten Tomatoes Score, Joker 2 hasn’t been panned, as it’s currently “Fresh” with 62% from critics, which is pretty much in line with the first movie’s 69%, so blaming the reviews doesn’t look to be the issue. They didn’t like the first one. How’d that work out?
If it’s good, fans will show up
Also saying “nobody asked for a sequel” is ridiculous (lol) because all that matters is if Joker 2 is a good movie. If it’s good, fans will show up. If word of mouth gets out early it sucks, Joker 2 is DOA.
Deadpool & Wolverine also had a low Rotten Tomatoes Score and lower than anticipated ticket presales, and its box office estimates dropped, but just the opposite happened. Why? Because word of mouth exploded, and the flick’s box office responded in kind.
Will Joker 2 bomb?
Fans are also blaming Lady Gaga and Joker 2 as possibly being a musical as a reason no one is buying tickets.
I haven’t looked into how much singing their exactly as in the film, as I am avoiding spoilers, but it’s my understanding the entire movie isn’t singing. Barbie had a musical number, and it’s not a musical, right? How’d that do?
So will Joker 2 bomb? It could start out slow out of the gate, just like every movie released this year, but if the online fan response is positive, look for an upswing.
