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The most divisive superhero flick of the year is now streaming. Joker: Folie à Deux barely limped past its $200 million budget and left critics wondering “Who is this movie for?” It did have some notable fans, however. Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino praised the Todd Phillips film, with the latter noting its intentionally provocative nature in an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. If you missed it in theaters (a statistical likelihood), you can see what the fuss is all about. After dropping on VOD in October, the film is now available to stream on Max.
There are a few ways to get Max. It’s available as a Prime Video add-on, a bundle with Hulu, a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu, or a standalone subscription.
The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, whose victimization by society leads him to become Joker in the 2019 film. Rolling Stone praised the original in a contemporaneous review, writing “As entertainment and provocation, Joker is simply stupendous.”
The sequel sees Phoenix reprise his role as Joker, while the cast adds Lady Gaga as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, based on the Harley Quinn character who originated in Batman: The Animated Series. Lady Gaga also recorded a companion album, titled Harlequin. In addition, the film adds Brendan Gleeson as a prison guard and Catherine Keener as Fleck’s lawyer, while Zazie Beetz reprises her role from the first film.
Todd Phillips’ Joker films are intended as standalone films, separate from Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise, which includes The Penguin series starring Colin Farrell. Adding to the confusion, the Phillips and Reeves films are both separate from James Gunn’s 2025 Superman film, which will kick off the DC Universe (DCU), itself a reboot of the DCEU started by 2013’s Man of Steel.
DC’s cinematic output is undoubtedly scattershot, with standalone films, TV shows, and breakoff franchises, but streaming all of this content is easy — everything DC lives on Max, and comic book fans can get both their DC and Marvel fix with the Disney/Hulu/Max bundle, which is available for $16.99/mo with ads or $29.99/mo without. Fans of physical media can pick up the Blu-Ray on Dec. 17, including the collectible Steelbook.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ 4K Blu-Ray Steelbook
