Tarantino praises 'Joker' sequel despite poor box office returns
Quentin Tarantino expressed admiration for the film "Joker: Folie à Deux" directed by Todd Phillips, despite the sequel receiving a lukewarm reception from critics and performing poorly at the box office.
During an appearance on the "Bret Easton Ellis" podcast, Tarantino praised Joaquin Phoenix's performance, calling it one of the best he has ever seen. "I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise... And I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it," the director said.
Tarantino admitted he particularly enjoyed the musical sequences. "I got really caught up. I thought the more banal the songs were, the better they were. I find myself listening to the lyrics of ‘For Once in My Life’ in a way I never have before," he added.
The director also noticed similarities between "Joker: Folie à Deux" and his script for "Natural Born Killers," highlighting the motif of killer lovers. He noted that the director, Todd Phillips, is a true rebel, who, in a way, tells everyone to get lost. "He’s saying [this] to Hollywood. He’s saying [this] to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers […] And Todd Phillips is the Joker. Un film de Joker, all right, is what it is. He is the Joker," Tarantino stated.
The film's failure
Despite Tarantino's praise, "Joker: Folie à Deux" did not achieve box office success, earning just over €186 million worldwide, compared to over €925 million that the original "Joker" in 2019 brought in. The film is currently available in cinemas and on VOD platforms.
