Joker: Folie à Deux is off to a rocky start at the box office.

Todd Phillips’ R-rated sequel, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Joker and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, grossed a lower-than-expected $20 million on Friday (October 4), including $7 million in previews The Hollywood Reporter. Rival studios expect the Warner Bros. film to hit theaters under $50 million.

Contribute to the troubled box office results Joker 2is dismal CinemaScore from the audience. The musical film received a “fail” grade, making it the first time in history that a Hollywood comic film received such a poor rating. THR Reports.

“For a film that lasts two and a half hours, Slide for two narratively feels a bit poor and sometimes boring,” The Hollywood Reporterwrote David Rooney, the film’s chief critic, after the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Heading into opening weekend Joker: Folie à Deux – the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning film joker – should earn between $50 and $60 million. The original film debuted significantly better in its opening weekend, grossing $96.2 million and receiving a B+ CinemaScore. The first joker grossed just over $1 billion at the global box office.

Joker 2 follows Phoenix’s return as Arthur Fleck (aka the Joker), now imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. There he meets Gaga’s Harleen “Lee” Quinzel and they form an extremely chaotic bond with the goal of wreaking havoc in Gotham City.

In addition to her acting role in the film, Gaga recorded a full film jokerThematic album with the title harlequinin which she expresses her character on a series of classic covers and some originals. The surprising companion project that was released in advance Joker 2 on September 27th was recorded parallel to the sessions for the superstar’s upcoming, as yet untitled, seventh studio album. Their new set is due out in February, with the first single due out in October.