Warner Bros. executives are doubling down on Joker: Folie à Deux, insisting the box-office bomb was a brave creative swing despite widespread rejection by fans and critics.
At a Glance
- Warner Bros. CEO Pamela Abdy and chair Michael De Luca praise the sequel as “revisionist” and “bold”
- The film was both a commercial failure and holds a poor Rotten Tomatoes score
- Lady Gaga says artists must accept that “people just sometimes don’t like some things”
- Why it matters: Studio chiefs are reframing a costly flop as visionary storytelling
The DC Studios sequel, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, stumbled at the global box office and earned a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet in a new interview with the Wrap, Warner Bros. top brass frame the movie as misunderstood rather than misguided.
Studio Chiefs: “Too Revisionist” for Mainstream
De Luca argues the filmmakers refused to repeat themselves, a rarity in sequel culture. “It may be that it was too revisionist for a global mainstream audience, but I thought that Todd and his screenwriting partner Scott [Silver] did the thing that most people making sequels don’t do.”
He insists the creative risk deserves applause even if audiences failed to connect. “I do give them immense props for not repeating themselves, but it just turned out to not connect with the audience.”
Abdy strikes an upbeat tone, declaring, “I really liked the movie. I still do.”
Gaga Embraces the Backlash
Lady Gaga, who plays Harley Quinn, welcomes the negativity as part of an artist’s life. “People just sometimes don’t like some things,” she told Elle in 2025. “It’s that simple.”
She frames rejection as a necessary hazard of creative work. “I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended.”
Gaga adds that fear of failure can be hard to control once it takes hold. “It’s part of the mayhem.”
Kojima and Tarantino Join the Defense
Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima predicts the film’s reputation will shift over decades. Writing on X, he claimed, “Over the next 10 or 20 years, this film’s reputation will likely change along with the permeation of hero movies to come. It may take some time for it to become a true ‘folie à deux.'”
Quentin Tarantino goes further, calling director Todd Phillips the literal Joker. In a 2024 Wrap interview, Tarantino said Phillips spent studio money with reckless glee and weaponized the final product against expectations.
“The Joker directed the movie,” Tarantino declared. “The entire concept, even him spending the studio’s money-he’s spending it like the Joker would spend it, all right?”
He characterizes the film as a prank on comic-book loyalists and Hollywood itself. “His big surprise gift-haha!-the jack-in-the-box, when he offers you his hand for a handshake and you get a buzzer with 10,000 volts shooting you-is the comic book geeks.”
Tarantino summarizes: “He’s saying fuck you to all of them. He’s saying fuck you to the movie audience. He’s saying fuck you to Hollywood.”
Critics Hold the Line
Despite the emerging revisionist praise, some outlets remain unmoved. News Of Fort Worth staff continue to back their original review stance, succinctly stating the film “just sucked.”
Key Takeaways
- Warner Bros. leadership labels Folie à Deux a bold experiment rather than a misfire
- Creative allies like Kojima and Tarantino argue the movie will be re-evaluated
- Lady Gaga frames the backlash as an unavoidable cost of artistry
- The divide between studio spin and audience reception remains wide
