Warner Bros. has never been renowned for its excellent decision-making when it comes to DC projects, but it’s quite frankly staggering that the studio tried so hard to ensure that Joker didn’t happen, looking at the success it ended up finding.
Director Todd Phillips was open in admitting he was actively dissuaded from trying to make the movie in the first place, while he even managed to piss off Jared Leto into the bargain after the Suicide Squad star discovered that another production based on the Clown Prince of Crime was in the works.
The budget was whittled down to a measly by the standards of the genre $55 million, while WB also shared the costs with multiple production companies in an effort to offset any losses should the R-rated psychological character study bomb at the box office. Ironically, the studio lost out on a colossal fortune once Joker turned out to be the highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time.
It also won a pair of Academy Awards from 11 nominations – including a Best Actor trophy for star Joaquin Phoenix – as well as dominating the pop culture discourse for months before, during, and after its release, with a sequel now scheduled to release next year that brings Lady Gaga into the fold as Harley Quinn.
And to think the higher-ups didn’t even want Joker to exist to begin with, so it’s little wonder why DC has been in a constant state of flux on the big screen for the last decade. As audiences await more updates on Folie à Deux, the first installment has roared back into the spotlight on streaming, though, with FlixPatrol outing it as a Top 10 hit on Prime Video in 20 countries around the world.