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The comic book movie domination of the modern box office has made any reach for novelty in the medium a matter of substantial notoriety. So, when Todd Phillips announced that his second take on the most beloved villain ever to grace the comic book page would be a musical, it raised some eyebrows.
Joker getting a sequel was obviously inevitable, given its cultural impact and overwhelming box office success. That upcoming sequel has finally been announced with the subtitle Folie à Deux and the possibility of a musical take on the character. The two ideas haven't made a crossover in the past, but the interest of fans has been piqued.
Joker was one of the most controversial films of recent memory, but its staggering $1.074 billion box office return made it clear that people were willing to show up. Joker was the first R-rated film to make over $1 billion. It's hard to determine exactly what made it such an incredible box office force, but individual reactions were less positive. Some critics loved the film while others hated it. The public firestorm before its release led to a bizarre culture war angle on the film's impact. Joker is so heavily tied in with so many issues across the world of criticism that talking about it in general, Luckily, people seem to have agreed upon the exact kind of person who is likely to be extremely fond of Joker.
Joker fits neatly into a category of films like Falling Down, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, and even Fight Club which are seen as catering to a specific demographic. Something about the themes of societal unrest and violent backlash from a specifically white and male perspective brings out less than tasteful aspects of the audience. Tons of people enjoy Joker and these other comparable films, but the people who love them tend to feel somehow related to the violent put-upon protagonist.
It's hard to argue that the film glorifies Arthur Fleck, but the shots of him standing over his faithful followers in full grease paint sure make it seem like a good time. The overwhelming success of the film suggests that every demographic must have found something worth looking into in the picture, but the hardcore fans remain regardless. Perhaps, on some level, the choice to make a musical is made to divorce the work from some less tasteful aspects of the fanbase.
Musicals occupy a weird space in the modern blockbuster scene. The overwhelming majority of those that make it to the theater are retellings of long-established Broadway staples, like Spielberg's 2021 take on West Side Story. The primary exception for the past 40 years or so has been Disney animated features, which are still heavily based on the songs to this day. Introducing a musical into the massively overstuffed comic book movie genre, and posing it as the sequel to one of the most "adult" entries is certainly a bold move. The first film was also a substantial deviation from the MCU or DCEU standard, so perhaps this is Phillips' attempt to push himself even further beyond. But, regardless of intent, if well-executed, making Joker 2 a musical could still hit just as hard as the first inside and outside the core fanbase.
One of the most popular musicals of the modern era is Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 take on The Phantom of the Opera. It was the most financially successful production of all time until Disney stole its crown in 2014 with The Lion King. Fans have a variety of answers as to what exactly makes it such a Broadway blockbuster, but one answer is helpfully spelled out in its landmark 2010 sequel Love Never Dies. That much less well-respected entry answers the apparently sizable chunk of the fanbase who were enamored of the Phantom and incensed by the fact that he didn't get the girl. The Phantom predates The Joker by only about 30 years, but both exist in a long chain of characters who become extremely popular outside their established context for the same reason.
Much of the narrative of Joker surrounded the relationship Arthur fabricates with a nearby woman who rejects him as soon as he makes himself clear. One wonders how many Joker fans wanted them to end up together. The upcoming sequel is believed by most to be the addition of Harley Quinn to the universe, suggesting a possible real love interest for the character. Joker 2 might already be the Love Never Dies to the original, so giving it a sweeping score and multiple original songs might be the thing to set it apart. Fans will just have to wait and see whether it clicks with the same very specific fanbase with its new direction and whether they're walking out of the theater humming the tunes on opening night.