‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Won’t Make $1 Billion, but Can It Still Be a Hit?

Five years ago, Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips’ “Joker” pulled off a series of firsts, including the first comic book film to win the Golden Lion and the Best Actor Oscar, as well as the first R-rated film to gross $1 billion at the global box office.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” will not reach that $1 billion mark, but there’s still a chance that the follow-up can be a hit film for Warner — if fans of the original embrace the musical numbers that take place inside Arthur Fleck’s fractured mind. Warner Bros. is projecting an opening weekend in the $50 million range, which would put it in the neighborhood of the $55 million opening earned by last year’s big DC flop “The Flash.