Lady Gaga's Kiss with a Woman Cut from 'Joker 2,' Sequel Dimming Hopes to Reach At Least $450M Box Office

After the success of the 2019 "Joker," which raked in over $1 billion worldwide, expectations were high for the sequel, "Joker: Folie à Deux," especially with Lady Gaga joining the cast.

But the musical elements and some creative decisions have left both fans and critics feeling disappointed.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Director Todd Phillips detailed on the decision to remove that woman-to-woman kiss from the courthouse scene in the movie.

He explained he wanted to maintain a musical flow throughout the scene and opted for a smooth and similar atmosphere throughout the scene, specifically "[distracting] from the musicality."

Phillips revealed, "It had dialogue in it, and I wanted it to be more of a musical and vibe moment."

The scene, which should have featured Lady Gaga and another woman, didn't make it into the final cut of the movie, leaving fans disappointed.

@oasisraindrops said on X, "[Phillips] did everything he could to ruin this movie wow."

@berkbilas added, "so they were homophobic."

"They just wanted Lady Gaga to sing.The film had no plot, just vibes," @therealvibesrab said.

Although critics praised the "Poker Face" singer for her role in the movie, its financial results didn't quite meet expectations.

"Joker 2," which had a budget estimated between $190 and $200 million, along with an extra $100 million spent on marketing, opened to just $37.7 million at the domestic box office.

The global earnings stand at $114 million, a significant distance from the $450 million required to reach the break-even point.

According to Wall Street anaylst Dan Ives, "This is a black eye for Warner Bros. at a key time, with the industry expecting a hit."

"The timing could not be worse."

This comes amid reports that Lady Gaga felt "shocked" by the unfavorable reviews of her latest movie.

An insider told the Daily Mail, "She put so much heart into the movie and has so much respect for the DC comics fan base."

"Her team is quietly looking at other projects they can roll out as they want to move on this from as quickly as possible."

They added, "She is disappointed that Joker is pretty much a bomb."

Tags

Lady Gaga, Joker