Joker: Folie À Deux director Todd Phillips 'wanted nothing <br>
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to do with DC' during making of the $200million flop film, a new report has claimed.<br>
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The hotly-anticipated sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film - stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady <br>
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Gaga and was considered a surefire hit for Warner Bros Pictures - but was slammed by critics and failed to <br>
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ignite at the box office.<br>
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The sequel has been roundly criticized for being a <br>
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musical and 'ignoring' the DC fanbase - with an agent familiar with Phillips' <br>
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process telling Variety he 'wanted nothing to do with DC' during the making <br>
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of the film, with DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran notably absent from the <br>
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film's LA premiere afterparty last month.<br>
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A source said: 'If the first movie was about some down-on-his-luck, mentally <br>
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ill guy in a downtrodden city, it makes maybe $150 [million] worldwide.<br>
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Not a billion. People showed up because that guy was Joker.'<br>
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In an apparent snub by Phillips, the opening sequence of the <br>
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film does not include a DC Studios logo.<br>
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<b>On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds an audience score of <br>
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31% and a critic score of 32%</b><br>
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The hotly-anticipated sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film - stars <br>
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Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga - seen with Phillips last month - and was considered a surefire hit for Warners Bros Pictures - but was slammed by <br>
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critics and failed to ignite at the box office <br>
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A DC spokesman said Gunn was directing the Max series Peacemaker in Atlanta, which had lost a day of production due to Hurricane Helene, while Safran was sick. <br>
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<b>Joker: Folie À Deux is branded 'bleak' and the 'most disappointing follow-up' by critics</b><br>
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A Warner spokesman added that a DC logo appears at the end of the Joker <br>
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sequel. while Phillips declined to comment to the <br>
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publication. <br>
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Several frictions are said to have developed between Phillips, DC and Warner- with claims that Michael DeLuca, Chairperson of Warner Bros.<br>
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Entertainment, and CEO Pamela Abdy seemed 'unwilling' to say no to Phillips due to his huge past successes.<br>
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It is claimed Phillips would 'only' speak with DeLuca and Abdy rather than Gunn and Safran - who took control of DC two months before production began on Joker 2 in December 2022.<br>
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Gunn and Safran did attend the first director's <br>
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cut screening for the studio but Phillips fueled rift speculation when he told a reporter: 'With all due respect <br>
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to them, this is kind of a Warner Bros. movie.'<br>
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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also met with Phillips shortly after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged <br>
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in April 2022 and was 'open to filming in Los Angeles if the director <br>
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would make the sequel at a lower price point.'<br>
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<i><u>The studio wanted to film in London which would have cost around <br>
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20 per cent less.</u></i><br>
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<b><u>However, Phillips insisted on filming in LA with the budget remaining static. </u></b><br>
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The sequel has been roundly criticized for being a musical and 'ignoring' the DC fanbase - with an agent familiar with Phillips' process telling Variety <br>
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he 'wanted nothing to do with DC' during the making of the film, with DC bosses James Gunn <br>
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and Peter Safran notably absent from the film's LA premiere <br>
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afterparty last month<br>
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A Warner spokesman told the publication the studio 'supported the decision to film in Los Angeles'.<br>
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A source directly involved with the film said:<br>
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'No one could get through to Todd. And the one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay <br>
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attention to what the fan expectations are, you're <br>
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going to fail.<br>
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Insiders also claim studio bosses did not want to premiere the film <br>
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at the Venice Film Festival, but Phillips pushed back - with a Warner spokesman saying the studio 'fully supported the <br>
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decision to bring the film to Venice.<br>
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Joker: Folie À Deux has garnered the lowest CinemaScore in comic book movie history <br>
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as the film bombed at the box office on opening night. <br>
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<strong>It has only made $114million worldwide against its <br>
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$200million budget. </strong><br>
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The psychological musical thriller — which has been criticized as 'bleak' and 'disappointing' — officially released in theaters on Friday, <br>
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October 4, but it only raked in $20 million at the domestic box office, per The Hollywood Reporter. <br>
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Phoenix reprised his role as the Joker in the sequel, which had earned him an Oscar <br>
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for his portrayal in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role <br>
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of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn). <br>
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However, Joker: Folie À Deux has been given a D rating <br>
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on CinemaScore — the lowest score for a comic book movie. <br>
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Madame Web — which notably also flopped in theaters earlier this <br>
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year and also received terrible reviews — holds a higher score with a C+.<br>
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<u><i>On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds an audience score of 31% and <br>
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a critic score of 32%. </i></u><br>
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The sequel is projected to rake in less that $50 million at the domestic box office during the entirety of opening <br>
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weekend, per The Hollywood Reporter. <br>
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Weeks ago, the movie had been projected to bring in around $70 million - but the number has since drastically dropped. <br>
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Joker (2019) notably opened with $96.2 million when the film <br>
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first released in theaters - and eventually landed a little over $1 billion in the global box office. <br>
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The first movie - which was also directed by Todd Phillips - <br>
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had a budget of between $55 and $70 million. However, the budget increased for Folie <br>
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À Deux to around $200 million. <br>
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The 2019 movie garnered praise and positive reviews from both critics and <br>
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audiences - and won the Golden Lion during the 76th Venice International Film Festival. <br>
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Joaquin received an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Joker <br>
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(Arthur Fleck) - and the film garnered an additional Academy Award for Best Original Score. <br>
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The sequel also screened during the Venice International Film Festival last month in September, where it <br>
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earned a 12-minute standing ovation, per Deadline. <br>
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A source directly involved with the film said: 'No one could <br>
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get through to Todd. And the one thing about genre stuff:<br>
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If you don't listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are,<br>
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you're going to fail.<br>
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However, audiences have since taken to X after the movie released in theaters on Friday - and shared their opinions on the sequel, which features musical sequences. <br>
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One fan penned, 'Joaquin Phoenix don't deserve this.<br>
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what happened to the script?' while another added, 'is it that bad,' followed by a crying face emoji. <br>
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'Ironically I feel that a musical, if done well, could have been a good choice.<br>
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It'd show how much of an unreliable narrator Fleck is,<br>
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' one typed. <br>
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'But with some original songs, that keep everything vague, not just covers.<br>
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Also when I heard of the ending I snorted fr.' <br>
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<u>A social media user wrote, 'Stop making sequels as musicals if the original wasn't a <br>
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musical.' </u><br>
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'Maybe he [Phillips] only had an hour long movie, and decided to randomly add musical scenes to fill the runtime,' one penned. <br>
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'Joker downfall really needs to be studied,' another shared, along with a monkey staring out a window. <br>
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One fan said, 'the movie sucks. i had to walk out of the cinema,' while another penned, <br>
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'After years of disagreement....*Joker 2 releases* Critics [shaking hands] Audience.' <br>
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However, audiences have since taken to X after the movie <br>
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released in theaters on Friday - and shared their <br>
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opinions over the sequel, which was also a musical<br>
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'Ironically I feel that a musical, if done well, could have been a good choice.<br>
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It'd show how much of an unreliable narrator Fleck is,' one typed<br>
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'Joker downfall really needs to be studied,' another shared, along with a <br>
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monkey staring out a window<br>
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'That's way below what we expected,' one wrote in regards to the current Rotten Tomatoes <br>
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scores. 'People are saying this is the worst sequel ever.' <br>
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A fan explained, 'yea this film was bad. it was pretentious and <br>
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dull. has the aesthetic of an arthouse film without the substance.' <br>
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'It also insults the audience's intelligence. the songs were <br>
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also underwhelming too. they shouldn't have let this escape to theaters.' <br>
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One shared, 'The audience that loved the first movie is not the same <br>
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audience running to see musicals. This was a gigantic mistake from step 1.' <br>
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During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Phillips discussed whether he would be <br>
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interested in making a third Joker film or a movie centered <br>
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around Gaga's character. <br>
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'It's not really where this movie is headed for me. I feel like my <br>
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time in the DC Universe was these two films.' <br>
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Ahead of the movie's release, Lady Gaga also dropped <br>
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an accompanying album titled Harlequin on September <br>
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27. <br>
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Joker: Folie À Deux has been branded the 'most <br>
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disappointing follow-up to the Oscar-winning movie' by critics, as they cast doubt on Lady Gaga's 'thin' role in the film following its release on Friday. <br>
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'That's way below what we expected,' one wrote in regards <br>
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to the current Rotten Tomatoes scores. 'People are saying this is the <br>
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worst sequel ever'<br>
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A fan explained, 'yea this film was bad. it was pretentious and dull.<br>
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has the aesthetic of an arthouse film without the substance'<br>
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The 'bleak' sequel, has also received a tepid reception from fans, <br>
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with some claiming Lady Gaga's career could be at <br>
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risk.<br>
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While the same director Todd Phillips was back in the hot <br>
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seat, critics have said the sequel is just a 'repeat' of the first hit but with an added musical <br>
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twist.<br>
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Most critics have said Todd failed to use Gaga correctly in the movie and claimed she was only bought in for the musical aspect of it.<br>
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While the majority of critics say Joker: Folie À Deux didn't live up to <br>
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expectations, others have dubbed the movie 'bold' and 'brilliant.' <br>
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Daily Mail's Brian Viner commended the move as 'bold' and 'brilliant' but said it lacked <br>
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any thrill. <br>
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The Independent's Geoffrey Macnab said: 'Today <br>
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Joker is best remembered as one of the most subversive and original films of the last decade, while its <br>
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hugely anticipated sequel is just as bleak and formally daring as its predecessor'.<br>
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Meanwhile, the Irish Times' Donald Clarke gave <br>
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the movie just two stars but credited Phillips' <br>
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work for making a sequel following the first <br>
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movie's $1billion success.<br>
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Financial Times critic Danny Leigh said although Gaga worked hard to bump the <br>
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ratings up in the sequel, Phillips appeared to have no <br>
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idea what to do with her. <br>
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Giving a three star rating, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw claimed the movie proves 'claustrophobic' and <br>
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'repetitive.'<br>
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Joker: Folie À Deux has been branded the 'most disappointing <br>
<br>
follow-up to the Oscar-winning movie' by critics, as they cast <br>
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doubt on Lady Gaga's 'thin' role in the film following its release on Friday; seen in September in London <br>
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The Times' Kevin Maher wrote: 'The director Todd Phillips <br>
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said there would be no follow-up to the original, but he <br>
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changed his mind and the result is a derivative musical'<br>
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'This might be the most disappointing follow-up to an Oscar-winning performance since Anthony Hopkins reworked his silky and <br>
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terrifying Dr Lecter from for the campy, kitschy.' <br>
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Along with Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, other stars that had appeared in the sequel include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener,<br>
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Zazie Beatz and Steve Coogan. <br>
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Joker: Folie à Deux has faced additional backlash from fans <br>
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as they have claimed that Gaga is running the risk of losing her acting career. <br>
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Lady GagaJoaquin Phoenix<br>
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my web page ... <a href="https://moiafazenda.ru/user/SeleneHeathersha/">ภาพพวงหรีดงานศพ</a>
Joker: Folie À Deux director