“Joker: Folie à Deux” has experienced a staggering 80% drop at the North American box office, plummeting from its debut of $30 million (£22.97 million) last weekend to just $7.1 million this weekend. This decline marks the largest drop for a comic-book film, as reported by ¨The Hollywood Reporter¨.
The sequel was dethroned by the indie horror film ¨Terrifier 3¨, which earned an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend. Meanwhile, the animated film ¨The Wild Robot¨ secured second place with $13.4 million, while ¨Beetlejuice¨ fell to fourth, grossing $7 million.
Critics have shared mixed reviews on “Joker: Folie à Deux,” featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, describing it as “bleak and daring,” yet some also found it “depressingly dull and plodding.”
Completing the North American top five was the comedy-drama ¨Piece by Piece¨, which utilizes Lego animation and boasts a star-studded voice cast that includes Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, and Busta Rhymes.
In other news, the film ¨The Apprentice¨, centred on Donald Trump, opened weakly at number 10 with just $1.6 million. It is set to premiere in the UK as part of the London Film Festival on Tuesday, having previously debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Despite receiving generally positive reviews, the film has faced criticism from Trump and his spokesperson, who described it as “garbage,” “pure fiction,” and “election interference by Hollywood elites.” The biopic chronicles Trump’s rise as a young property developer in 1970s and 80s New York and begins with a disclaimer stating that many events depicted are fictionalised.