'Joker' fans convinced Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix 'hated' sequel after awkward promo interview

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Joker: Folie a Deux' is being slammed as merely a boring judicial drama with meaningless song-and-dance numbers despite starring top performers like Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix.

In the latest turn of events, fans of the original 'Joker' film were left squirming after witnessing an unpleasant incident involving the two stars from the sequel, which debuted in theaters on October 2.

Lady Gaga and Phoenix appeared to exchange a sarcastic smile when asked whether they enjoyed filming the sequel to 'Joker', which left viewers wondering if they "hated" filming it.

Fans believe Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix 'hated' doing 'Joker: Folie a Deux'

The incident occurred during a promotional interview between Lady Gaga and the 'Joker' star Joaquin Phoenix for 'Joker: Folie a Deux' with British broadcaster ITV.

The film is a follow-up to 2019's critically acclaimed 'Joker,' which delves into the character's murky past. Phoenix received high appreciation for his portrayal of the character's decline into the nihilistic outlook for which the Joker is so popular.

Although the first movie received high praise from critics, viewers believe a scene from the ITV interview might hint at a negative reception.

The two exchanged a knowing glance and burst out laughing when questioned about the movie, especially whether they enjoyed the final version.

Within moments, people were sharing their opinions on social media about their true feelings toward the just-released film.

"They hated it," said one on X (formerly Twitter). "They knew then it was a massive s**t show didn’t they!?!" added another.

One added, "They did NOT like it," while another remarked, "Oh god they themselves hate the movie."

"They share everyone’s disappointment fire the editors they deserve jail and a fine," said another.

Others, meanwhile, remarked that the context made them think of other performers on a promotional tour for a different project that was poorly received by the public.

For instance, the finale season of 'Game of Thrones' was met with disapproval from both enthusiasts and reviewers. Most people felt that there had been a major decline in the quality of the show from the first to the last season, per UNILAD.

Comparing the two situations, one person wrote, "This is giving emilia clark when being asked about the last season GoT".

Another added, "I‘m getting game of thrones flashbacks".

'Joker: Folie a Deux' stumbles after uninspired $40 million premiere

The genre-bending follow-up to the billion-dollar sensation, 'Joker: Folie a Deux' opened at the top spot with $40 million, but it failed to perform well at the box office.

The dismal domestic ticket sales fell short of the initial estimates of $50 million to $65 million, which were further reduced downward. This start is awful for Warner Bros given the blockbuster success of the original and the likelihood that poor word-of-mouth would further hit the box office numbers of the movie.

The movie's first weekend earnings were much less than those of 'Joker,' which debuted in 2019 and broke the October record with a whopping $96.2 million in the same weekend five years ago, per Variety.

This is further problematic because the R-rated follow-up costs a whopping $200 million (the original movie was made for a relatively low $65 million). So, 'Folie a Deux' has to earn at least $450 million in order to break even, based on sources familiar with the film’s financials.

The original plan for 'Joker' was for it to stand alone. However, the R-rated movie turned into one of the most successful comic book films ever made and won Phoenix an Oscar.

With $335 million in domestic sales and $743 million abroad, the original 'Joker' became an unexpected smash and at the time became the highest-grossing R-rated film in history.

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