The trailer launch for “Joker: Folie à Deux” was no laughing matter for Warner Bros. The marketing for the studio’s upcoming DC sequel, headlined by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, got off to a stellar start with 167 million viewers in its first 24 hours. The teaser trailer went online right after it debuted at Warner Bros.’s CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas.
Sources tell Variety that the “Joker” sequel’s trailer numbers and social engagement surpassed that of the first “Barbie” trailer to become Warner Bros.’ biggest launch in recent years. The release was no doubt bolstered by Lady Gaga’s massive 150 million follower social media footprint. The trailer instantly became the #1 trending video on YouTube on premiere night and currently boasts 15.6 million views and counting on that platform alone, where it remains the #4 trending video nearly two days after its launch.
The “Joker” sequel trailer also dominated X during its first 24 hours, with 10 terms related to the movie trending, including #JokerFolieADeux, Gaga, Harley, Harley Quinn, Joaquin Phoenix, Joker, Joker 2, Joker2, Lady Gaga and Todd Phillips.
The trailer numbers are great news for Warner Bros. Beating “Barbie” is of note, as that film went on to earn $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office for the studio and was last year’s highest-grossing movie. The original “Joker” surpassed $1 billion in 2019; the sequel is aiming for even higher total given this initial interest and the addition of superstar Lady Gaga to the cast.
Among the trailers for the year’s studio tentpoles, “Joker: Folie à Deux” trounced the debut of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (100 million views) and bested Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” (157 million views to become the biggest debut for a Disney animated film). The “Joker” trailer was below Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” which set a record earlier this year as the biggest trailer launch of all time with 365 million views. However, the Marvel tentpole launched on Super Bowl Sunday and its viewership numbers factored in the telecast. The “Joker: Folie à Deux” trailer launch was purely digital.
Little is known about the actual plot for “Joker: Folie à Deux” other than it is reportedly a jukebox musical set around Arkham Asylum. Phoenix is back in the title role, which earned him an Oscar for best actor. Gaga stars as Harley Quinn. The supporting cast includes Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung and Harry Lawtey.
“Joker” director Todd Phillips is back for the sequel, too. He said at CinemaCon that calling the movie a musical was not exactly correct.
“I like to say it’s a movie where music is an essential element,” Phillips said. “It doesn’t veer too far from the first film. Arthur has music in him. He has a grace to him.”
“Joker 2” will debut on the big screen on Oct. 4 — exactly five years after the first film. The sequel will screen in the Imax 70mm format.
