‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ sneak previews snag $7 million, around half of original’s
Warner Bros. Pictures
Joker: Folie à Deuxis expected to top the box office this weekend, but comparisons to the original, which grossed more than $1 billion, are already haunting the sequel.
The movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning title role, has him teaming up with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. It took in $7 million from Thursday night sneak preview showings, according to Variety.
While those are respectable numbers, the 2019 original had $13 million in the bank by Friday morning, on its way to a $96.2 million opening weekend.
Also weighing on the sequel’s box office future are reviews much weaker than its predecessor and a budget that was way higher — $200 million versus $65 million for the first one, according to the trade.
The time has come for Power Book II: Ghost to wrap up. The series finale airs Friday on Starz, ending the show after four years and four seasons. It’s accompanied by emotions for many members of the cast, some of whom described the feeling as bittersweet.
“Man, it’s a bittersweet feeling. It’s like, oh, man, it’s finally coming to an end. But at the end of the day, I’m looking at it like we were able to create 10 years of great TV and just provide something for the fans to always look forward to on the weekend. And I’m super proud to be a part of it,” star Michael Rainey Jr. told ABC Audio. “I feel like God’s timing is the best timing. And, you know, he said, now’s the time for it to come to an end. So I’m all for it. I’m ready for what’s coming next.”
LaToya Tonodeo said she’s grateful the show’s “actually ending on a high note.”
“It’s like, you know how sometimes people be like, ‘Oh, God, they dragging it out.’ Like, nah, we are leaving on a high note. And personally, it is bittersweet,” she continued. “I am excited for what’s to come, but it is sad to know that I’m leaving my family. Our camaraderie and chemistry is so crazy. It’s so good, so that makes me sad.”
LightSkinKeisha also cosigned the “bittersweet” feeling while offering a glimmer of hope to the fans of Ghost.
“It’s bittersweet. I feel like a lot of good things do come to an end,” she said. “But at the end of the day, you never know with this one, because Power never ends, right?”
Michael, LaToya and LightSkinKeisha play Tariq, Diana and Brushandria on the show, respectively.
On Monday evening, Courteney Cox followed Jennifer Aniston with a tribute to their former Friends co-star Matthew Perry, who died of a drug overdose on Oct. 28, 2023.
Along with a photo of herself with Perry, Cox wrote, “Missing you today and always.”
This followed Aniston’s Instagram post earlier in the day, which marked the somber occasion with the caption “One year.”
Another who paid tribute to Perry was Simpsons voice star, Friends guest star and Perry’s longtime friend Hank Azaria, who noted on X, “One year without Matthew.”
To a collage of pictures of the pair together, Azaria added, “He helped me get sober and made me laugh harder than anyone else. I miss him every day. The world isn’t the same without you, brother!”
Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine at 54 years old. Five people have been charged in connection with his death.
Beverly Hills Cop star Judge Reinhold has paid tribute to his longtime friend and former onscreen partner John Ashton, who passed away at 76 following a battle with cancer.
The pair recently reunited for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F opposite Eddie Murphy, which debuted on Netflix in May.
Ashton and Reinhold played respective detective partners Taggart and Rosewood in the hit comedy franchise; Reinhold’s young cop paired well with Ashton’s grizzled vet and both “by the book” officers clashed with Murphy’s unorthodox Detroit PD detective.
Reinhold posted to Instagram, “Thursday night John seemed like he was sleeping but the Yankees were on. They won the game, clinched the division then John made it to home.”
The actor continued, “Forty years of laughs on screen and off. John LIVED his life! My brother, my partner, my Sarge – I love you.”
Cheekily, he added, “There’s no smoking in Heaven, John.”
Ashton’s career spanned over four decades, including roles like the blunt bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler in Midnight Run alongside Robert De Niro and in Little Big League in 1994.
His obituary notes other notable films, such as Some Kind of Wonderful, She’s Having a Baby and Gone Baby Gone.
