Joker 2 Trailer Harnesses the Power of Gaga to Become Bigger Trailer Launch Than Barbie

Joker: Folie à Deux has surpassed Barbie as the biggest trailer launch of recent years for Warner Bros., setting up the Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga movie for a huge box office haul later this year. The interest in the sequel to 2019’s $1 billion Batman villain movie has been building for some time, spurred on by the intriguing release of several BTS stills and director Todd Philips’ teases of the film’s “musical” theme.

The trailer, which featured both Phoenix and Gaga prominently, made its debut at Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon panel earlier this week, and arrived online almost simultaneously. In its first 24 hours, as per Variety, the two-minute-plus showcase of what the movie has to offer garnered over 167 million views, which was enough to surpass even that of Warner Bros. 2023 summer sensation, Barbie. This puts the film in a very strong position to not only match its predecessor but surpass it when it hits cinemas in October.

The trailer’s success was significantly amplified by Gaga’s involvement, with her army of “Little Monsters” setting social media alight at the chance of seeing their idol take on the role of a grounded and disturbed Harley Quinn alongside Phoenix’s return as Arthur Fleck aka Joker. With hashtags being shared by the singer’s 150 million followers, it is not surprising that the trailer immediately went stratospheric compared to many other recently released trailers such as those of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Disney’s Inside Out 2. However, the impressive viewership still fell short of the unparalleled Deadpool & Wolverine trailer’s 365 million views following its premiere during the 2024 Super Bowl.

Joker 2 Will Be Another Dark, Disturbing and Grounded Comic Book Movie

The sequel to Philips’ triumphant 2019 film is set to build on the dark, character-driven foundation of that movie, this time expanding the journey of Phoenix’s central character with the addition of Gaga’s Arkham Asylum inmate Harley Quinn. Unlike the gleeful version of the character played by Margot Robbie in several DCEU films, Gaga appears to cut a much more eerie and intriguing version of Quinn – at least that is something the trailer alludes to. With the film set to be played out to a surreal jukebox musical backdrop, there are still many ways the true nature of the relationship between its central pair can be revealed.

Even though Joker: Folie à Deux is throwing a real curve-ball with its musical direction, especially when considering the kind of movies and stage productions that the term “jukebox musical” conjures up. However, from the trailer, it is clear that Philips’ vision is one that is going to be unlike anything that has been seen in that particular genre before, and that kind of intriguing box office offering is the kind of thing that led to Barbie’s success last year.

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Following up Joker was always going to be a hard task, as lightning very rarely strikes twice, and the film itself seemed to be a very self-contained affair that did not lend itself naturally into sequel territory. However, the trailer seems to have not only alleviated fears about the musical aspects of the film, but also increased the hype surrounding the sequel. In a year when standard superhero movies have taken a backseat, Joker: Folie à Deux has chosen the perfect moment to shine.