Warner Bros. Pictures’ comic book sequel stumbled to first place at the domestic box office this weekend, grossing a weak $40 million, according to studio estimates.
The highly anticipated film failed to match the success of its Oscar-winning predecessor, which opened to $96.2 million in 2019 and broke the October box office record in the United States and Canada.
The second installment in director Todd Phillips’ “Joker” saga — starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga — fell far short of analyst projections, which estimated that the comic-book adaptation would launch somewhere between $50 million and $65 million domestically.
