Joker’s 2 Biggest Scenes Proved Joker 2 Is A Perfect Musical 5 Years Ago

There is a debate about Joker: Folie à Deux being a musical; however, the original Joker already showed that the sequel’s chosen path would be good for the DC movie. Despite being an R-rated film more in line with dramas like Taxi Driver than the usual superhero movie fare, 2019’s Joker became a smash hit. According to the specialized box office tracking website Box Office Mojo, Joker ended its worldwide box office run with $1.078 billion, making it the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time and the third top earner among all DC movies at the global box office.

With such a strong run, a sequel was pretty much certain. While the success of the first movie made a sequel expected, the decision to make Joker: Folie à Deux a musical was shocking. This will be a first for a superhero movie, which means there is no precedent for how the DC film will pan out. While some fans have voiced their concerns over the radical shift in direction for the film, the original Joker, the Joker: Folie à Deux trailer, and more have shown that the sequel’s musical elements will only enhance it.

Joker’s Biggest Scenes Hinge Around Music

Arthur Fleck Expresses Himself Through It

2019’s Joker had a couple of pivotal moments that help illustrate how Joker: Folie à Deux leaning into the franchise’s connection to music will only help it. The first major moment where music is key to the scene in the film comes when Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck goes into the bathroom alone. While he goes in as Arthur, the character comes out transformed, having fully become the Joker. In the bathroom, the movie follows that transformation process, with Arthur slowly dancing to a hauntingly beautiful score as he turns into who he is destined to be.

The other major impactful sequence involving music in Joker comes again with Phoenix’s character dancing alone. This time, Arthur has already embraced his Joker persona, fully dressed in the villain’s attire, makeup included. Joker‘s most iconic moment is the character’s dance on a set of stairs. The scene shows Arthur gleefully dancing, unburdened by the sadness of his past now that he has become someone else — someone better in his eyes. Joker’s biggest scenes revolved around a key use of music, which means Joker: Folie à Deux is just leaning into a franchise strength.

How Joker 2 Can Amp Up The Original’s Music Moments

Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Will Help In That Regard

The music moments in Joker were contained, with a focus strictly on Arthur Fleck. Joker: Folie à Deux will be a full-blown musical, which means the scope of the film’s music sequences will be far greater than that of the original DC movie. That was already shown in the new movie’s trailer, which will see Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn become part of Arthur’s music moments. Gaga is one of the most popular singers in the world, so the decision to bring her in for Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Harley Quinn guarantees that the musical will be top-notch.

After the first movie in the Joker franchise grossed over $1 billion on a reported budget of $55-70 million, the sequel has seen a decent increase in its production budget. Joker: Folie à Deux reportedly cost $200 million to make. Based on that, it will be able to present a much bigger scope for its musical scenes, with the Joker: Folie à Deux trailer already showing teases of some elaborate sequences and sets. The Joker sequel is reportedly a jukebox musical, which means the movie will use established songs rather than original pieces. At least 15 songs are in play.

What Joker’s Music Theme Reveals About Joker 2’s Story

The Sequel Can Dive Deeper Into Its Lead Character

The music moments in 2019’s Joker came when Arthur was attuned to his Clown Prince of Crime side. The fact that Joker: Folie à Deux is a full-on musical seems to indicate that the sequel will more heavily lean into that part of the character. The musical sequences would allow the movie to get deeper into the Joker’s mind, building on both the first film’s music moments and the various delusions Arthur Fleck was shown to make up to justify his actions and his melancholic life.

That reasoning also explains why Gaga’s Harley Quinn will be part of the sequel’s musical elements. As shown in Joker: Folie à Deux‘s first trailer, Harley will be encouraging Arthur to really move into his Joker persona, with Lady Gaga’s character also having a journey of finding a new side of her as Harley Quinn. With both main characters’ minds getting explored in the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux being a musical allows the DC film to be a compelling character study that also widens the scope of the franchise.

• 

  Joker (2019)

  R

  Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker is an origin story for Batman’s most iconic villain. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down-on-his-luck clown who is trying to become a successful stand-up comedian. When things don’t go according to plan, and Arthur feels Gotham is oppressing him and others with mental illness, Arthur sparks a violent revolution within the city.

  Director

  Todd Phillips

  Release Date

  
  October 2, 2019
  

  Studio(s)

  Warner Bros. Pictures
  , Village Roadshow Pictures
  , Bron Creative
  , DC Films
  , Joint Effort

  Cast

  Joaquin Phoenix
  , Robert De Niro
  , Zazie Beetz
  , Frances Conroy
  , Brett Cullen
  , Shea Whigham

  Franchise(s)

  DC
  , Joker

• 

  Joker: Folie a Deux

  R

  Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips’ critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.

  Director

  Todd Phillips

  Release Date

  
  October 4, 2024
  

  Studio(s)

  Warner Bros. Pictures

  Cast

  Joaquin Phoenix
  , Lady Gaga
  , Brendan Gleeson
  , Zazie Beetz
  , Catherine Keener
  , Jacob Lofland
  , Harry Lawtey

  Franchise(s)

  Joker