Joker\u00a0was a record-breaking $1 billion hit in 2019, landing countless award nominations and even a “Best Actor” Oscar for lead star Joaquin Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite him and filmmaker Todd Phillips vowing to never make a sequel, they reunited for\u00a0Joker: Folie \u00c0 Deux\u00a0and turned to singer and actress Lady Gaga to bring “Lee Quinzel” (a.k.a. Harley Quinn)\u00a0to life.<\/p>\n
Given a massive budget by Warner Bros.\u2014the studio seemed sure that more box office success would follow that first instalment\u2014Phoenix and Phillips got a tad self-indulgent with a musical that, ultimately, no one wanted to see.<\/p>\n
That’s evident from a dismal $206 million haul at the global box office. As for\u00a0awards, the only major prizes\u00a0Joker: Folie \u00c0 Deux\u00a0won were “Worst Screen Combo” (Phoenix and Gaga) and “Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel” at the Razzies.<\/p>\n
Talking to Rolling Stone<\/a> about the overwhelmingly negative response to the movie, Gaga said, “I wasn’t, like, unfazed. It’s funny, I’m almost nervous to share my reaction. But the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged.”<\/p>\n “When it takes a while for something to kind of dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful. Only because I put a lot of myself into it,” she continued, explaining that\u00a0Joker: Folie \u00c0 Deux inspired the dark music video for her 2024 single, “Disease.”<\/p>\n “There was a ton of negativity around Joker,” Gaga\u00a0explained. “And I think I was feeling artistically rebellious at the time. I put so much of that energy into that video. I was in that place, you know, I was like, ‘I’ll show you who I am, and I’ll show you what this fight is like.'”<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the singer,\u00a0who became the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Grammy Award in the same year in 2019, similarly commented on the negativity surrounding the failed Joker follow-up.<\/p>\n “People just sometimes don’t like some things. It’s that simple,” she acknowledged. “And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn\u2019t connect in the way that you intended.”<\/p>\n As of now, there are no concrete plans for either The Joker or Harley Quinn in DC Studios’ DCU. James Gunn’s apathy for Jared Leto closes the door on the TRON: Ares star returning as the Clown Prince of Crime, while Margot Robbie appears to have moved on from Harley<\/a>.<\/p>\n We may, however, get another Elseworlds Joker if\u00a0Barry Keoghan reprises the role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For an incredible fourth time, @ladygaga<\/a> is Rolling Stone’s new cover star \ud83d\udda4<\/p>\n Gaga talks about returning from the brink, finding love, and making one of her greatest albums that earned her seven #GRAMMYs<\/a> nominations.<\/p>\n Read: https:\/\/t.co\/dVbmPau7h1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pbtU3YKeUn<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) November 13, 2025<\/a>
<\/p>\n