Todd Phillips receives support from Francis Ford Coppola following ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ upset

Francis Ford Coppola
| Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

Veteran filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola took to social media over the weekend to express his support for director Todd Phillips as Joker: Folie à Deux faces a challenging opening at the box office. Coppola, whose own film Megalopolis is underperforming, praised Phillips for taking creative risks with the sequel, which merges the antihero genre with musical elements.

The highly anticipated Joker sequel debuted with a D CinemaScore, the lowest ever for a comic book film. Audience backlash was not unexpected, as the film’s musical format diverged sharply from the tone of the first Joker, which grossed over $1 billion globally. Despite an initial forecast suggesting an opening of $50 to $60 million, Folie à Deux now looks set to earn only around $40 million this weekend, well behind expectations.

Coppola, who faced his own critical and commercial struggles with Megalopolis, offered words of encouragement to Phillips. “Ever since the wonderful The Hangover, he’s always been one step ahead of the audience, never doing what they expect. Congratulations to Joker: Folie à Deux,” Coppola wrote. He added that audiences may simply not be ready for the film’s bold genre hybrid.

Coppola also noted the influence his 1981 musical One From the Heart had on Phillips’ latest film. While One From the Heart was a box office failure at the time, it has since gained a cult following, giving Coppola hope that Folie à Deux might eventually be appreciated for its creativity, even if it struggles to win over audiences today.