New Delhi, India

This is the one that no one saw coming! Todd Phillips' sequel to the billion-dollar, critic-favourite movie Joker: Folie à Deux had a disappointing start at the box office. 

The film, which sees Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck, has failed to create the magic that the original did.

Joker: Folie à Deux slow start at the box office 

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Released on Oct 4, the movie's first-day earning is no way near the numbers that analysts expected. The R-rated movie has earned $ 20 million, this also includes $ 7 million that the movie made from the previews. 

The musical drama is projected to make between $42 million to $47 million in the opening weekend. The major blow in figures has come after the movie was expected to make $50 million to $65 million in the opening weekend. 

With the negative word-of-mouth spread, the box office numbers are expected to decline.

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This is a major setback for the makers, who have seen the blockbuster run of the original movie, which earned $ 96.2 million in the opening weekend in 2019.

Apart from disappointing box office performance, Joker 2 has earned a D CinemaScore from audiences. This is the first time in history that a Hollywood comic book movie has earned this tag. 

The 2019 movie was a huge box office hit as it earned a staggering $1.07 billion at the global box office. The original movie was made in a budget of $65 million budget. However, Folie a Deux has been made in the budget of $200 million. 

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The movie revolves around Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), who is still struggling with his dual identity. While Fleck is on trial at Arkham for the crimes he committed as Joker, he finds his true love Lee or Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) and discovers his love for music.

The movie also stars Brendan Gleeson, Harry Lawtey, Catherine Keener and more.

Joker: Folie a Deux review:

WION's film critic Shomini Sen called the movie "dull". 

She wrote, ''Joker: Folie à Deux however is a dull, uninspiring sequel. I found the first film disturbing and slightly problematic because of its message. The sequel does not evoke such strong reactions but instead, tests your patience to a great extent. Gaga is underutilized, the sequences are long drawn and the overall pace of the film is sluggish. Not the sort of sequel one would expect after the brilliance of Joker.'' Read the review here.