Overview

Joker: Folie à Deux, also known as Joker 2, is the 2024 sequel to the 2019 DC Comics film Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, Joker, and Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga) as Harley Quinn. The title translates from French to English, "Madness for Two." Joker: Folie à Deux was announced in June 2022, generating viral discussion across social media on platforms like Twitter / X and Reddit, among others. The sequel became highly anticipated both for its film potential and meme potential based on the various memes created by the first Joker film. Viral posts about the movie also surfaced when Lady Gaga was announced as Harley Quinn. The film was released in American theaters on October 4th, 2024. It was panned by both critics and fans, generating a low Rotten Tomatoes score. The film was largely mocked in memes and viral posts. However, others argued against the backlash, sparking viral discourse.

History

Announcement

On June 7th, 2022, director Todd Phillips posted a two-image carousel post on Instagram^[1] that led with the cover of a screenplay titled, "Joker: Folie à Deux" (shown below, left). The secondary image was a black-and-white photo of Phillips writing in a windowed room while smoking a cigarette (shown below, right). In less than a day, Phillips' post received roughly 242,900 likes. The release date was not announced during the initial reveal.

Reactions and Memes

Immediately on June 7th, 2022, multiple outlets across social media relayed Phillips' Instagram post. For instance, the Twitter^[2] page DiscussingFilm posted an announcement tweet on June 7th that earned roughly 52,500 likes in less than a day. News outlet Variety also wrote an article^[4] and posted a tweet^[3] on June 7th that received roughly 27,500 likes in the same amount of time.

Going into the first week of June 2022, the idea of a Joker sequel started to receive meme attention on social media. For instance, on June 7th, Twitter^[5] user PopeAwesomeXIII tweeted, "The fact that there's gonna be a Joker 2 just means Batman isn't doing his god damn job," earning over 270 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also on June 7th, Twitter^[6] user MrTonyNacho photoshopped the album cover for Fall Out Boy's album Folie à Deux onto the screenplay cover, earning over 890 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Willem Dafoe in Joker Sequel

Amid the announcement of the Joker sequel, some internet users resurfaced an article written by Forbes^[7] in January 2019 that focused on statements made by actor Willem Dafoe about his, "Crazy Idea For A ‘Joker’ Sequel." He's already known for playing the Spider-man villain the Green Goblin. Forbes cited an interview Dafoe had with British GQ^[8] where he fantasized about playing a "Joker imposter" in a sequel of Phillips' Joker. The translation of the title, "Madness for Two," hinted to many that this could be a possibility.

On June 7th, 2022, Twitter^[9] user RawbertBeef posted the Forbes article, stating, "MAKE IT. MAKE THE MOVIE, TODD," and earning over 170 likes in less than a day (shown below, left). Also on June 7th, Twitter^[10] user PattyNest tweeted, "If Willem Dafoe isnt in Joker 2 then i don't want it," earning roughly 1,200 likes in the same amount of time (shown below, right).

Lady Gaga Announced As Harley Quinn

On June 13th, 2022, rumors^[11] started to spread that the American singer Lady Gaga, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, was in talks to join Joker's forthcoming sequel alongside Joaquin Phoenix. The news spurred memes and reactions from fans of the singer and the movie. Twitter user @therealsupes^[2] commented about the impact Lady Gaga would have as Harley Quinn, receiving over 600 retweets and 6,000 likes in nine months.

On August 4th, 2022, Lady Gaga was confirmed^[12] as the new actress portraying Harley Quinn in the DC Comic movie Joker: Folie à Deux.

Going into 2023, memes using promo pics of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn surfaced online, like one Whisper post shared by X^[13] user @shitpostjenna on April 6th, gaining over 1,000 likes in a year (shown below).

Trailer Release

On April 9th, 2024, the official teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux was posted to YouTube,^[14] amassing over 36.7 million views in six months (shown below).

A few months later, on July 23rd, the official trailer for the film was uploaded to YouTube,^[15] gaining over 30 million views in three months (shown below).

Reception

Following the film's October 2024 release, critics panned it, like Slate^[16] critic Dana Stevens on October 4th, writing, "By any reasonable measure this is a terrible movie, too long and too self-serious and way too dramatically inert, a regrettable waste of its lead actors’ boundless commitment to even their most thinly written roles." Similarly, New York Times^[17] critic Manohla Dargis wrote, "'Joker: Folie à Deux' is such a dour, unpleasant slog that it is hard to know why it was made or for whom."

On Rotten Tomatoes,^[18] the film received a 33% Tomatometer score and a 31% Popcornmeter score by critics and audience members.

Online Presence

In October 2024, internet users reacted to the film with memes and viral posts. For instance, on October 3rd, X^[19] user @ninewontmiss tweeted a video of comedian Shane Gillis putting a firearm in his mouth, "Me after watching Joker 2. They just wanted Lady Gaga to sing. The film had no plot, just vibes. I want my 3 hours back," receiving over 60,000 likes in four days (shown below).

Me after watching Joker 2. They just wanted Lady Gaga to sing. The film had no plot, just vibes. I want my 3 hours back #JokerMovie pic.twitter.com/k3ydGZ0amQ

— Nine (@ninewontmiss) October 4, 2024

Similarly, on October 4th, X^[20] user @willfulchaos tweeted a video of a disappointed woman green-screened multiple times in a movie theater setting, captioned, "my theater every time joker and harley started singing in joker 2," receiving over 6,900 likes in three days (shown below).

my theater every time joker and harley started singing in joker 2 pic.twitter.com/JtdTa4242F

— wiLL (@willfulchaos) October 4, 2024

Alternatively, others attested that they enjoyed the film, such as X^[21] user @subtoconnorpls on October 5th, who wrote, "i have something to say about joker 2," captioning a video of actor Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in The Punisher saying in a courtroom, "I liked it!" The tweet amassed over 29,000 likes in two days (shown below).

i have something to say about joker 2 pic.twitter.com/yjkPPZbJIG

— conar (@subtoconnorpls) October 5, 2024

Similar posts including discourse and takes surfaced on Reddit during the same timeframe. For instance, on September 30th, Redditor^[22] Kazrules posted to /r/boxoffice, writing, "I have never seen a movie lose so much hype than Joker 2." The Redditor alleged that the film would suffer in the box office because of the lack of "hype" surrounding the film following the La Biennale di Venezia film festival. The Redditor's post received over 6,900 upvotes in a week (shown below).

Related Memes

Joker Raped in "Folie à Deux"

Joker Raped in Folie à Deux refers to a scene that heavily implies the character Arthur Fleck / Joker is sexually assaulted by prison guards in the 2024 film Joker: Folie à Deux. The scene became a subject of controversy online as many users expressed dissatisfaction with it and the film as a whole, and it was a prevalent subject of memes on X / Twitter and 4chan's /tv/ board in early October 2024.

Search Interest

External References