Joker: Folie à Deux carries a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 39% and an audience score of 36-37%, both firmly in “Rotten” territory.
These metrics tell a story of critical disappointment and even stronger audience rejection for Todd Phillips’ 2024 sequel, which reunites Joaquin Phoenix with Margot Robbie in an ambitious but divisive continuation of the first film’s dark exploration of mental illness and violence.
The gap between critics and audiences—a rare reversal where audiences actually rated the film lower than critics—signals genuine friction with the film’s tonal direction and narrative choices.
This represents a dramatic departure from the original 2019 Joker, which earned a 68% critics score and an impressive 89% audience score, meaning the sequel alienated viewers on both sides of the traditional critical divide.
- Table of Contents
- How Does Joker: Folie à Deux's Rotten Tomatoes Score Compare to the Original?
- Why Did Critics and Audiences React So Negatively?
- How Do These Scores Rank Among Recent Superhero Films?
- How Should You Interpret These Rotten Tomatoes Scores When Deciding to Watch?
- What Caused the Sharp Disconnect Between Audience Expectations and Delivery?
- How Has the Reception Affected the DC Film Universe's Trajectory?
- What Does This Underperformance Mean for Future Comic Book Adaptations?
- Conclusion
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Table of Contents
- How Does Joker: Folie à Deux’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compare to the Original?
- Why Did Critics and Audiences React So Negatively?
- How Do These Scores Rank Among Recent Superhero Films?
- How Should You Interpret These Rotten Tomatoes Scores When Deciding to Watch?
- What Caused the Sharp Disconnect Between Audience Expectations and Delivery?
- How Has the Reception Affected the DC Film Universe’s Trajectory?
- What Does This Underperformance Mean for Future Comic Book Adaptations?
- Conclusion
How Does Joker: Folie à Deux’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compare to the Original?
The 39% critics score and 36-37% audience score for joker: Folie à Deux mark one of the most significant critical drops in modern comic book cinema.
To put this in perspective, the first Joker’s 68% critics approval and 89% audience enthusiasm represented mainstream acclaim despite the film’s controversial subject matter.
The sequel lost 29 percentage points with critics and dropped a staggering 52 points with audiences, suggesting that the film’s continuation of the narrative failed to resonate with viewers who embraced the original’s psychological intensity.
This comparison matters because the first Joker proved that dark, grounded comic book stories could find both critical and commercial success. The sequel’s sharp decline indicates not merely a sophomore slump, but a fundamental misalignment between what filmmaker Todd Phillips created and what audiences expected.
The original film earned over $1 billion globally despite its grim subject matter; the sequel’s poor critical reception contributed to a significantly weaker box office performance, demonstrating how Rotten Tomatoes scores often correlate with audience attendance decisions.
Why Did Critics and Audiences React So Negatively?
The negative reception centered on several consistent criticisms: the shift toward musical elements and romance felt tonal whiplash to viewers expecting the grounded psychological thriller of the original. Critics particularly noted that the addition of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn character, while narratively intentional, disrupted the intimate character study that made the first film compelling.
The 39% critical score reflects a widespread consensus that Phillips overreached in his ambitions, attempting to balance too many genre elements—musical drama, romance, psychological thriller, and comic book spectacle—without fully committing to any single approach.
The audience score’s severity (36-37%) suggests viewers felt misled or disappointed by the film’s direction. Many audience reviews cited confusion about the film’s target emotional register—was it meant to be tragic, romantic, darkly comedic, or something else entirely?
This identity crisis plagued the film throughout its runtime, leaving audiences unable to invest emotionally in what should have been a character-driven narrative. The warning here is instructive: sequels that stray too far from the tonal foundation of their predecessors often trigger audience rejection regardless of production value or star power.
How Do These Scores Rank Among Recent Superhero Films?
Joker: Folie à Deux’s 39% critics score places it among the lowest-rated recent comic book adaptations, competing for unfavorable comparison with films like The Flash (55%), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (39%), and Birds of Prey (79% critics, significantly higher).
The 36-37% audience score represents particularly poor standing—most DC Extended Universe films maintain audience scores in the 50-70% range, meaning the Joker sequel’s near-40% rating is genuinely exceptional in its negativity. Even notoriously divisive DC entries like batman vs.
Superman (27% critics, 65% audience) managed significantly higher audience approval.
What makes the Joker sequel’s position notable is that it shares its low critical score with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom but dramatically underperforms in audience approval. While Aquaman 2 received 56% from audiences despite its 39% critical score, Joker: Folie à Deux couldn’t even achieve that discrepancy.
This pattern suggests the sequel failed to connect with the core DC fanbase that typically shows loyalty across different critical outcomes. The comparison reveals that character-driven films operate under different audience expectations than spectacle-driven superhero entries.
How Should You Interpret These Rotten Tomatoes Scores When Deciding to Watch?
rotten Tomatoes scores operate as a binary “Certified Fresh” or “Rotten” designation based on a simple threshold—anything below 60% lands in Rotten territory regardless of actual score distribution.
A 39% score means 39% of critics gave the film a “fresh” (positive) review and 61% gave it a “rotten” (negative) review, but doesn’t necessarily indicate universal hatred. Some critics may have given the film a 5.5/10, which still counts as “rotten,” while others gave it a 3/10.
This limitation means the 39% score is less nuanced than it appears.
For casual viewers deciding whether to watch, consider whether you value the original Joker’s intimate psychological character study or whether you’re intrigued by the sequel’s expansion into musical drama and romance.
The audience score’s severity (36-37%) suggests that fans of the original specifically disliked the direction, while the slightly higher critics score (39%) indicates some appreciation for Phillips’ ambitions even among those who didn’t fully endorse the execution.
The practical takeaway: if you haven’t seen the original Joker and enjoy experimental art-house cinema, you might find merit the critics did. If you loved the original specifically, proceed with managing expectations considerably.
What Caused the Sharp Disconnect Between Audience Expectations and Delivery?
The fundamental issue stemmed from marketing and narrative expectations. The original Joker positioned itself as a grounded psychological drama about mental illness, societal rejection, and radicalization—heavy themes addressed without superhero spectacle.
The sequel’s marketing suggested a continuation of this trajectory, but Phillips instead created a film dominated by musical sequences, romantic tension between two mentally unstable characters, and genre pastiche. This represented not a natural evolution but a genre pivot that confused viewers seeking more of what worked.
Additionally, Joker: Folie à Deux centers itself substantially on the relationship between Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn, positioning their connection as a redemptive romantic arc. This thematic choice fundamentally contradicted the original film’s warning about the dangers of unchecked mental illness and violence.
Audiences who interpreted the first film as a cautionary tale found the sequel’s romanticization of the couple’s connection morally inconsistent and narratively hollow. The limitation here is critical: sequels that reverse their predecessor’s thematic warnings often face audience backlash, particularly when dealing with sensitive subjects like mental illness and violence.
How Has the Reception Affected the DC Film Universe’s Trajectory?
The poor critical and audience reception of Joker: Folie à Deux complicated Warner Bros.’ plans for the DC universe, particularly regarding standalone, grounded Batman universe projects. The original Joker’s success—both critical and commercial—had suggested audiences craved character-driven, artistic takes on superhero properties rather than spectacle-dependent tentpoles.
The sequel’s failure undermined that premise, indicating the appeal may have been specific to the original’s unique vision rather than a broader audience appetite for experimental DC films.
This example serves as a cautionary tale for studios attempting to capitalize on unexpected successes. The pressure to expand winning franchises often leads creators to overthink what made the original work, resulting in bloated sequels that attempt to do too much.
The 39% and 36-37% scores represent not just critical judgment but marketplace feedback that audiences distinguish between inspired creative choices and cash-grab expansion.
What Does This Underperformance Mean for Future Comic Book Adaptations?
Joker: Folie à Deux’s critical and audience failure suggests that comic book adaptations increasingly need to justify their existence beyond franchise momentum and star power. The film’s 39% critical score and 36-37% audience score indicate viewers are willing to reject major studio projects if they perceive artistic compromise or thematic confusion.
This represents a maturation of audiences who understand the difference between ambitious failure and derivative mediocrity. Looking forward, the reception suggests studios will be more cautious about greenlight-ing sequels purely because a first film succeeded, particularly in grounded, character-driven properties.
The clear divergence between what worked (original Joker’s focused psychological intensity) and what didn’t (the sequel’s tonal scatter) provides a template for understanding audience expectations in an era where streaming services have trained viewers to expect either tight, focused storytelling or large-scale spectacle—rarely both simultaneously.
Conclusion
Joker: Folie à Deux received a 39% critics score and 36-37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, representing a significant critical disappointment and even stronger audience rejection. These metrics reflect the film’s struggle to balance multiple genres, tones, and narrative directions while simultaneously betraying some of the original film’s thematic warnings about mental illness and violence.
Understanding these scores matters not merely for deciding whether to watch the film, but for recognizing how audiences evaluate ambitious sequels and what franchise expansion requires to succeed.
The original Joker proved that audiences would embrace dark, psychologically intense comic book properties—the sequel’s failure demonstrates that success cannot be assumed to carry forward without maintaining the specific creative vision that earned initial acclaim.
For viewers, the scores suggest cautious skepticism; for filmmakers, the lesson is that bigger budgets and familiar characters rarely compensate for thematic confusion and tonal misalignment.
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