Joker: Folie à Deux cuts a rug on Max and HBO next weekend

You’re in luck if you’ve been waiting for Joker: Folie à Deux to hit Max to save yourself some dollars before the holidays. The divisive sequel to Todd Phillips’s Joker comes waltzing onto Max on Friday, December 13, with a linear premiere on HBO on December 14, 2024, at 8 PM EST.

When Todd Phillips announced Joker: Folie à Deux, fans rejoiced at the thought of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck returning for another anarchy-fanning foray into the mind of a killer and revolutionary. The world was their oyster. Everything was coming up Milhouse, and then Phillips announced the sequel would be a jukebox musical. Confusion swept through the land as fans contemplated Phillips’ plan, still hoping for the best. Sadly, when Joker: Folie à Deux cut a rug in theaters, it was universally panned by audiences, especially diehard fans of the original. Warner Bros. rushed the movie onto digital services to cut their losses, hoping to recoup what would eventually become a massive loss for the studio. Alas, the film continued to fail, making it one of 2024’s most significant cinematic misfires. Reports suggest Joker: Folie à Deux lost WB roughly $100M. Woof!

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Roger Waters have praised Joker: Folie à Deux, while famed video game maker Hideo Kojima thinks the film will be better appreciated in 10 to 20 years.

“I watched ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ The beginning of the film is an animation sequence, reminiscent of the nostalgic ‘Looney Tunes,’ depicting a story of Joker and Joker’s shadow,” Kojima wrote. “In the trial that follows, the question of his multiple personality is argued from beginning to end. Is the Joker Arthur? Is the Joker another personality (his shadow)? Who exactly is Arthur? This revelation eventually transforms into a meta-perspective. In the previous film, ‘Joker,’ was it really Joker who captivated audiences around the world? Or was it Arthur? This question is constantly raised to Lee and even to the people of Gotham City within the film.”

“We live in an age of mass production of ‘poetic justice’ heroes, a battle between good and evil,” Kojima elaborates. “Lately, many spin-off films with a focus on the villains have been made. Can villains be superheroes too? Is this question posed on the big screen as a DC movie too avant-garde? Was it the Joker that audiences around the world loved? Was it Arthur? This is where the reviews have diverged. Over the next 10 or 20 years, this film’s reputation will likely change along with the permeation of hero movies to come. It may take some time for it to become a true ‘folie à deux.’ But there is no doubt that everyone in the audience loved Joaquin and Gaga in this film.”

Have you watched Joker: Folie à Deux? Do you think the movie is underrated? Are you excited about it coming to Max and HBO? Let us know in the comments section below.