The ‘Joker 2’ Budget Has Reportedly Ballooned To $200 Million - News Reelz
Photo from Variety
From Gaius Bolling
Warner Bros. is spending big on the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie á Deux, at least according to a report from Variety.
The story is covering why Warner Bros. might be engaging in these big deals with high profile stars such as Tom Cruise and Margot Robbie. The bulk of the story is that they're trying to make themselves attractive for a potential sell or merger, which has been rumored for a bit now. In April, Warner Bros. Discovery can entertain offers to buy, sell or merge with a studio like NBCUniversal, as many on the lot believe will happen. That’s when the two-year lock-up period expires as part of the 2022 deal that united WarnerMedia and Discovery.
Buried in the story was the budget details for the Joker sequel. Apparently, the budget had increased to $200M, well above the $60M spent on the first movie. Joaquin Phoenix is getting $20M to reprise his role as the clown prince of crime, while Lady Gaga is taking home about $12M to play Harley Quinn. The investment could be worth it since the first film grossed $1 billion but this is a musical or has musical elements so it could prove to be a tougher sell. Only time will tell. The studio recently lost $40M on the $90M budgeted The Color Purple musical adaptation, despite its great start on Christmas Day. On the other hand, they scored with Wonka, which has pulled in $211M domestic and is nearing $600M globally.
(Source: Variety)