Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to top the box office this weekend, but comparisons to the original, which grossed more than $1 billion, are already haunting the sequel.
The movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning title role, has him teaming up with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. It took in $7 million from Thursday night sneak preview showings, according to Variety.
While those are respectable numbers, the 2019 original had $13 million in the bank by Friday morning, on its way to a $96.2 million opening weekend.
Also weighing on the sequel’s box office future are reviews much weaker than its predecessor and a budget that was way higher — $200 million versus $65 million for the first one, according to the trade.
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