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- Why Are Movies Hiding That They’re Musicals?
- Hiding the Musical Label Helped Sink Joker 2
- Joker 2 Left Audiences Feeling Tricked
As a seasoned moviegoer and critic with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the latest cinematic endeavor, Joker: Folie à Deux, left me feeling more bewildered than entertained. The marketing strategy for this film was as perplexing as the plot itself; promising a gritty crime drama one moment and serving up a musical the next.
As a passionate film buff, I must confess that the long-awaited “Joker: Folie à Deux” has left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. Despite the first movie being a critical divide, it turned out to be an unexpected smash hit, breaking records as the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made and raking in 11 Oscar nominations, two of which it took home (notably Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix). Director Todd Phillips had frequently hinted that the original “Joker” would be a standalone production. However, the movie’s extraordinary success left no doubt that a sequel was destined to follow.
As a dedicated cinephile, I must confess my disappointment in the latest release, “Folie à Deux.” Despite high expectations, it seems to have taken an unexpected turn, becoming the antithesis of a hit. The film’s current 33% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes mirrors the equally negative feedback from users, earning a “D” CinemaScore (the lowest ever for a comic book film), and underperforming even “Morbius” in its opening weekend box office.
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Why Are Movies Hiding That They’re Musicals?
It’s important to give a fair assessment to “Joker: Folie à Deux,” as it isn’t the first film to subtly conceal its musical nature amidst an increasing number of recent musical productions, such as “Wonka,” “The Color Purple,” “Wish,” and the revamped version of “Mean Girls.” Interestingly, these movies have deliberately omitted scenes of actors singing or dancing in their trailers, even “Wicked,” an adaptation from one of the most renowned Broadway musicals, appears to avoid showing the actors singing “Defying Gravity” on screen.
In the world of cinema, there’s a widespread perception that labeling a movie as a musical could be a recipe for poor box office performance. This is because industry insiders often feel that the genre carries too much negative connotation among mainstream viewers. While this isn’t an absolute truth, recent examples such as “In the Heights” and “West Side Story,” which showcased musical numbers in their trailers, have struggled with audiences. Similarly, the adaptation of “Cats” from just two years ago was a notable flop.
But there’s still plenty of counter-evidence that being a musical isn’t necessarily a death knell. The last decade has seen the likes of La La Land, Moana, and The Greatest Showman all prove surprise hits, and none of these films were falsely advertised. It also ignores several other significant factors, namely the fact that In the Heights and West Side Story had lackluster marketing campaigns overall or that Cats was an internet punchline months before it crashed and burned.
It appears that this unfounded idea has become a genuine conviction among Hollywood executives, considering the fact that a popular musical like Wicked is not marketed as such. Conversely, it seems this marketing strategy has arguably failed more spectacularly with Joker 2 than anywhere else.
Hiding the Musical Label Helped Sink Joker 2
Despite the fact that it was clear from the start that “Joker: Folie à Deux” would be a jukebox musical (as evidenced by Lady Gaga’s casting as Harley Quinn), the film’s promotional materials appeared to go to great lengths to conceal this from viewers. Trailers mostly omitted full musical numbers, with only a short clip of Joaquin Phoenix singing. Additionally, before its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, both director Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga maintained that their movie wasn’t a musical. This seemed rather peculiar.
In simpler terms, Phillips said that most of the music in the movie is essentially dialogue, as Arthur sings instead of speaking what he can’t express with words. However, one might question this, as isn’t a musical precisely designed for characters to convey feelings and emotions beyond what words alone can express?
Despite Phillips’ potential commitment, was there ever a fanbase eager for a Joker musical? The original movie garnered a vocal following with its controversial image, sparking concerns that a film about a mentally ill outcast taking revenge against a system he perceived as unjust could serve as a call to action. Fortunately, the anticipated violence at screenings did not materialize. However, given the strong emotions often associated with musicals, it’s challenging to envision a comparable level of vocal passion among fans for this genre.
Most significantly, the genre change seemed remarkably unexpected and off-kilter. Regardless of its quality, “Joker” was primarily marketed as a gritty crime drama based on a comic book, with clear influences from “Taxi Driver,” rather than Jim Lee’s work. It’s puzzling to consider what led Phillips and Phoenix to believe that a musical would be the natural progression from this. Moreover, there were no indications in the original film suggesting this genre shift, making it challenging to envision how this movie could have succeeded as a “Joker” sequel or a musical adaptation.
Joker 2 Left Audiences Feeling Tricked
It appears that major movie studios are hesitant to market a musical as a musical due to perceived risks towards general audiences. This raises questions about their continued work in this genre. However, the harsh audience reactions to ‘Joker 2’ suggest that it might be more advantageous for them to embrace the musical genre instead.
The idea of a musical sequel to “Joker” was always going to be challenging for fans who found the original unexpected, even theoretically. Yet, Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. managed to market it poorly despite the odds. If they had accurately categorized the film as its genre, some audiences might have been deterred, but it would have been a better choice than the confusing approach they took, which left viewers feeling deceived and contributed to negative word of mouth. Let’s hope that the anticipated backlash about “Wicked” turning out to be a musical won’t be as harsh. Joker: Folie à Deux is now showing in cinemas.
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2024-10-10 00:31