Summary
The release date forJoker: Folie À Deuxis almost here already, but fans are getting a preview of one of the film’s most interesting aspects ahead of its theatrical debut, courtesy of the film franchise’s most exciting new addition to the cast.
Jokerbroke all sorts of records when it was first released amidst serious controversy in 2019, giving audiences a massively divergent look at one of DC Comics’ most iconic characters, showing its titular Batman villain in a humanizing light that hadn’t really been applied to him in quite that way before. This novelty was made possible by its status as an Elseworlds project, which freed it up from any commitment to canon and other DC projects. This was also a great move for longevity, as the announced sequelJoker: Folie À Deuxsurvived the reboot at DC studios under James Gunn, leaving it on the slate to be one of themost anticipated movie sequels of 2024.
While Gunn’s new DCU won’t be putting out any live action projects until 2025, the Joker sequel is just days away from release, and the promotional moves are in full effect. It came out recently that some luckyfans could get to seeJoker 2: Folie À Deuxalmost a week in advance, and nowJoker 2starLady Gagahas revealed that one part of the film will be available for everyone to enjoy outside of theaters before the official premiere. Taking to her social media to make the announcement, Gaga revealed thatHarlequin, a companion album toJoker: Folie à Deux,would be available for fans to listen to from September 27. The post came complete with a promotional image and an album pre-save link alongside a picturesque image of a milk carton on a kitchen counter framing a jester mask hidden out of frame.
Gaga, an award-winning musician and talented actress, was cast in the sequel film in the role of Harleen Quinzel, the love interest and driving force for the titular character’s actions in the film. She brings a lot of vocal validation to the film, which has been touted as a musical from the very beginning despite some pushback about the label from the film’s director. The tracklisting confirms previous reports that the film would take on the form of a Jukebox musical. There’s been a ton of discussion abouthowJoker 2could work as a musical, and this companion album could go a long way to give fans a solid answer prior to its theatrical release.
Despite the release date being so close, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the film’s ability to succeed. To a certain extent, it’s pretty clear thatJoker 2is trying to recapture lightning in a bottlefollowing the success of the firstJokerfilm. The project was designed as a one-off and, as such, was able to really stand on its own and be enjoyed as an Elseworlds project. The search for a sequel very quickly saw the addition of more classicBatmaninfluences like Arkham, Gaga’s Harley, and even Harvey Dent. The musical aspect of the film is the one unique selling point it has that still maintains that standalone appeal, and the soundtrack could be an essential part of its potential success. Gaga is a talented artist and is sure to put in a good performance, albeit far removed from her usual output due to stylistic choices, but its unclear whether that will be enough to carry the film.
Despite the anticipation, the outlook on the film is a bit more bleak than one might expect, with some early projections indicating thatJoker 2could perform on par withThe Flashat the box office. While the commercial success of an R-rated project isn’t measured on the same scale as projects with broader reach like the mainline DCEU and MCU films, this would still be a steep decline from the brilliant record set by the very first film. Fans will have to wait and see how things play out, but those interested could certainly make a difference by seeing it in theaters.
Joker: Folie À Deuxis set for theatrical release on on Jun 21, 2025.
