Do two flops make a right? Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola praises Todd Phillips and Joker: Folie à Deux following a historical box office bomb.
The 2024 box office has been a precarious beast. For every surprising success story like Longlegs, it seems there are two dozen flops like Borderlands and Argylle. However, two failures stand head and shoulders above the rest. Megalopolis, a decades-long passion project from director Francis Ford Coppola that culminated in a confusing mess, and Joker: Folie à Deux a sequel to Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar underdog story that left fans and critics alike out in the cold.
Yet that doesn’t mean neither film has its fans. Joker: Folie à Deux has received a small but passionate amount of support online from those who praise Todd Phillips’ subversive take on the Clown Prince of Crime, especially when it comes to introspection on the nature of spectacles. Megalopolis has also been praised for its spectacle, even in spite of Francis Ford Coppola’s eclectic tendencies. And it seems the overlap between the two audiences is smaller than many might expect.
Was Joker: Folie à Deux Ahead Of Its Time?
Following a truly pitiful opening weekend from Joker: Folie à Deux, Francis Ford Coppola took to social media to give his thoughts. While many thought the director might take aim at the sequel, he instead praised it for being something truly special. He particularly called out Todd Phillips’ surprise factor, stating that it was something he’d loved ever since The Hangover.
“@ToddPhillips films always amaze me and I enjoy them thoroughly,” Coppola wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Ever since the wonderful “The Hangover” he’s always one step ahead of the audience never doing what they expect. Congratulations to Joker: Folie à Deux!”
Nobody had the words Francis Ford Coppola and The Hangover appearing together in a sentence on their 2024 bingo card, but it seems that’s the world everyone lives in! While Coppola’s words may not be able to salvage Todd Phillips’ reputation among fans, it’s at least a comfort to know that even flops like Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis can fan comfort together.
Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in theaters. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the sequel and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
