After Joker 2 failed at the box office, Warner made a drastic last-minute decision to try to salvage it

After critics were divided over the final score of Joker: Folie à Deux, the film did not achieve the expected results in cinemas around the world.

“Joker 2” had a huge debut in the US, taking in $40 millionThis number was much lower than expectations, as the cost of the film amounted to about 190 million dollars.

Experts are already comparing this box office failure to that of The Flash, which resulted in losses estimated at $1 million for Warner Bros. Entertainment. It amounts to about $200 million.

Since October 4, the film has grossed just $51.5 million in the US and $165 million worldwide in its first two weeks of release.

With a production budget of 200 million dollars, including 100 million for marketing and distributionThe film, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, became a problem for Warner Bros.

Introduced in 2019, Phoenix’s Joker tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a marginalized man who makes a living as a clown, but social rejection and psychological problems lead him down a violent path to becoming the Joker.

In this production, Arthur was shown as a disturbed, sensitive, cold and extremely violent man, however, in this sequel, Phoenix plays a more clumsy and unsuccessful joker with the aim of leaving his role as an assassin. In addition, The entire film is performed in musical format.

This change in focus would have completely alienated fans of The Seventh Art, as they expected a more faithful sequel to the first and a scarier Joker.

Warner then made the radical decision to try to salvage something from the film and avoid taking a major financial hit.

The famous production company took the film out of theaters and released it on streaming platforms.

The company has decided that the film will be available for rental starting October 29, which is an unusual progress for a production of this calibre.

The strategy will seek to mitigate losses and help the growing popularity of streaming platforms, which since the pandemic have become essential in every home.