Oh, darling readers, gather ’round as I unravel the latest Hollywood shenanigans with my usual dose of sass and sarcasm! Hollywood’s box office is buzzing, and not all that glitters is gold, or in this case, even bronze!
Joker: Folie à Deux — the sequel no one really asked for, yet here it is. Our dear Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the clown prince of chaos, while Lady Gaga hops on board as Harley Quinn. The film strutted its stuff across 4,102 locations and managed to snag a respectable $20 million from Friday showings and previews. But, oh honey, the expectations were sky-high, with projections aiming for a $50 million to $65 million debut. Alas, it’s looking like this Joker isn’t laughing all the way to the bank, with estimates now suggesting it might not even hit the $50 million mark. 🎭
Now, let’s rewind to 2019, when the original Joker laughed off with a whopping $96.2 million opening weekend and eventually waltzed its way to a global collection of $1.07 billion from a modest budget of $65 million. Fast forward to today, and we have a sequel with a rather hefty $200 million tag, but not quite the same rave reviews. The audience’s verdict? A less-than-stellar "D" on the CinemaScore report card. Ouch! 💸
Meanwhile, in the land of sequels and spooks, The Wild Robot holds onto second place, raking in $4.9 million on its second Friday. It’s now boasting over $50 million domestically, even as it takes a 56% tumble from its debut. Similarly, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice continues to charm audiences, securing third place with $2.7 million in its fifth weekend. It seems the ghost with the most is still packing theaters! 👻
In fourth, we have Transformers One, the animated prequel nobody saw coming, earning $1.3 million on its third Friday. It’s projected to make $5.5 million over the weekend. And in fifth, Speak No Evil is whispering its way to $2.8 million in its fourth weekend, after a $840,000 Friday haul. 🎬
Oh, and not to forget the new kid on the block, White Bird, the prequel-sequel concoction tied to 2017’s Wonder. It chirped in with a modest $660,000 from 1,018 locations. 🐦
Moral of the Story: In the whimsical world of Hollywood, even the Jokers can have a bad day, and sometimes it takes more than a clown and a pop diva to steal the show. But hey, in the end, the box office is just like life: unpredictable, a tad bit chaotic, and full of surprises. And remember, not every sequel is meant to be a blockbuster, sometimes they’re just a lesson in humility. 😏
