Why ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ Flopped: A Subversive Sequel No One Was Buying | Analysis

There have been plenty of comic book films that have left fans of DC and Marvel unimpressed, but you’d be hard pressed to find one that has faced such mass repudiation as “Joker: Folie à Deux” did this weekend.

When it first arrived on pre-release tracking, there were projections for a $70 million opening weekend. By this week, that fell to $50 million. While not a death sentence for a film with a $190 million budget, such a result would have required strong audience buzz for it to be...