Cinema’Joker’ leads the international box office with US$81.1 millionThe sequel to ‘Joker’ does not meet expectations in the US and faces negative reviewstoday at 3pm

Joker: Folie à Deux (Joker: Delirium for Two) debuted at the international box office with US$81.1 milliontopping the weekend, but grossed just $40 million in the U.S., for a total of $121.1 million globally. This performance disappointed Warner Bros.which invested US$200 million in the film, compared to US$65 million for the first production. The sequel, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gagareceived negative reviews and received a low score “D” in CinemaScore.

The debut took place in 76 international markets, with emphasis on the United Kingdom (US$8 million), Germany (US$6.9 million), Italy (US$5.6 million), Mexico (US$5.5 million) and France (US$5 million). The film opens in Japan next week and in China on October 16, which could influence global performance.

The first JokerIt was a huge success, grossing US$335 million in the US and US$743 million internationally. However, the sequel doesn’t appear to be repeating that impact, in part due to negative reviews influencing box office performance.

The director Todd Phillips had already indicated that this would be the last film in this saga, and said that, after two features, the team had already “said what they wanted to say” in the comic book universe.