Joker: Folie a Deux plummets at US box office, sees 80% drop

Joker: Folie a Deux has suffered a significant drop at the North American box office, falling from last weekend’s chart-topping debut of $40 million (£30.65 million) to just $7.1 million. This marks an 80% decline, setting a new record for the largest second-weekend collapse for a comic-book film, according to *The Hollywood Reporter*.
The sequel to Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, was knocked off the top spot by indie horror film Terrifier 3, which led the weekend with an estimated $18.2 million. Joker: Folie Deux also fell behind the animated film The Wild Robot, which held onto second place with $13.4 million.
Meanwhile, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice dropped one place to fourth, earning $7 million. Film critics have given Joker: Folie a Deux mixed reviews, with some praising its “bleak and daring” approach, while others found it “depressingly dull and plodding”.
Rounding out the top five was the comedy-drama Piece by Piece, which uses Lego animation and features an all-star voice cast, including Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, and Busta Rhymes.
Elsewhere, The Apprentice, a film about Donald Trump, managed to debut at number 10, earning just $1.6 million. The film is set to have its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on Tuesday, October 15.