Taxi Driver Writer Paul Schrader Walked Out Of Joker 2: 'I Saw 15 Minutes And That Was Enough'

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga starrer Joker: Folie a Deux appears to have hit a sour note for some audiences. Amid the underwhelming performance at the box office with cold reactions online, another withering assessment has come the film’s way from writer Paul Schrader. Known for his work in Taxi Driver, Paul, in a new conversation with Interview magazine, revealed how he ended up walking out within the first 10-15 minutes of Joker 2.

“I saw only 10 to 15 minutes of it. Then I left, bought something, came back, and saw another 10 minutes. That was enough for me,” he told Jeremy O Harris, as quoted by Variety. Sharing his honest thoughts, Paul even went on to describe the film as a “really bad musical,” further expressing his disapproval of the casting (Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga).

“I don’t like either of those people. I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door,” he added.

In the meantime, cinemagoers also took to various platforms and shared negative comments about the film. While some called out the makers, stating that Joker 2 is not “your classic musical,” others criticised the lack of intense action sequences as shown in the first film.

A section of the audience seemed unhappy with the replacement of Margot Robbie with Gaga.

Joker: Folie à Deux Box Office Collections

Despite the poor reactions from viewers, Joker 2 opened with a staggering $40 million. However, the numbers went down significantly from the $96.2 million that the predecessor had collected after its 2019 debut. It is worth mentioning that the anticipation for the sequel was quite high, especially after the success of the first film. Phoenix even won the Oscar for Best Actor.

According to a Variety report, while the first Joker film grossed nearly $250 million globally after three days of release, the sequel is likely to end its theatrical run with only $210 million worldwide.

Joker: Folie à Deux picks up from the events of the first film, wherein Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck has landed in the Arkhan State Hospital. He meets and falls in love with fellow inmate Lee, aka Lady Gaga.