As a seasoned gamer who’s seen more flops than a forgotten arcade, I can empathize with both Todd Phillips and Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a tough world out there for visionary filmmakers, especially when you decide to take risks and step outside the comfort zone of predictable blockbusters.
Hang in there, Todd Phillips.
Over the weekend, I took to social media to express my admiration for Todd Phillips and his upcoming film, “Joker: Folie à Deux”. My own project, “Megalopolis”, hasn’t been faring so well at the box office lately, but I can’t help but appreciate the grit and determination it takes to bring a vision like this to life. Just as I’ve faced my share of challenges in the gaming world, I empathize with what Phillips is going through. Here’s to pushing boundaries and defying expectations!
This weekend, the much-anticipated sequel to “The Joker” movie is being released in cinemas worldwide. However, it’s debuting with lower-than-expected box office numbers, possibly due to its unconventional nature. Interestingly, it became the first Hollywood comic book film ever to receive a D Cinemascore, which could explain the tepid audience response. This isn’t too shocking, given that the sequel is a musical, a genre not typically favored by die-hard fans of this franchise.
Coppola has consistently been impressed by Phillips’ films and found them entertaining. He also hinted that viewers might not be prepared for a movie like “Joker: Folie à Deux“. On Instagram, he praised the film, saying, “Ever since the fantastic ‘The Hangover‘, he’s always stayed one move ahead of the audience, never doing what we anticipate. Well done to ‘Joker: Folie à Deux‘.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Francis Ford Coppola (@francisfordcoppola)
As a devoted admirer, I must admit that the cinematic release of Megalopolis over the past weekend wasn’t exactly a box office success, receiving a grade not far from a D+. Coppola’s dystopian masterpiece had an initial debut of just $4 million against a whopping production budget of $120 million, not including marketing expenses. With no major studio willing to take on this ambitious project, Coppola took it upon himself to gather the necessary funds, even investing some of his personal wealth in the venture. In a last-minute move, Lionsgate agreed to distribute the film, which is projected to earn less than $1 million during this weekend alone.
As a devoted fan, I can’t help but express my excitement about the making of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” a fascinating blend of an antihero film and musical, featuring the exceptional talents of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. The success of Todd Phillips’ “Joker” in 2019, which garnered a staggering $1 billion globally and accumulated numerous Oscar nominations, including a well-deserved best actor win for Phoenix, certainly paved the way for this sequel.
Three weeks ago, the movie “Folie à Deux” seemed poised to debut with around $70 million at the box office, even though it fell short of the original film’s opening of $96 million. This figure was considered respectable, but as reviews emerged and the movie was shown to influencers, interest appeared to decline noticeably. As a result, predictions for this weekend’s earnings have dropped to between $50 million and $60 million.
As a fervent admirer, I’m thrilled about Friday’s impressive opening day gross of $20 million for Folie à Deux. Predictions suggest that we might be looking at an opening in the lower to mid-$40 million range. Intriguingly, some rival studios are even hinting at a potential high $30 million range!
It’s not just their shared membership in the D CinemaScore club that links Coppola and Phillips; they also share other similarities.
Coppola expressed on Instagram that he’s proud Lawrence Sher, the cinematographer of Joker 2, mentioned how Coppola’s less successful 1981 musical film One From the Heart served as an inspiration for Folie à Deux. (In recent times, critics have reevaluated One From the Heart, transforming it into something of a cult favorite.)
Critics haven’t shown much favoritism towards “Megalopolis” or “Joker 2,” with Rotten Tomatoes giving them a 46% and 33% critical rating respectively, suggesting generally unfavorable reviews.
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2024-10-06 04:54