Quentin Tarantino Responds to Critics of His ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Review - N SPORTS 2025

Quentin Tarantino emerged as one of the few high-profile public defenders of Joker: Folie à Deux, a film that was met with polarizing reviews and less-than-desirable box office given its massive $200 million budget. Tarantino has never been afraid to speak his mind and has offered his opinion on a variety of topics with little to no care about what anyone might have to say about it. That’s why it should come as no shock that the fanboy outrage that he received for liking the Joker sequel did not phase him one bit, and he is making sure everybody knows it.

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During a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, the acclaimed director discussed the backlash he received for saying he liked Joker: Folie à Deux and how it seemed to trigger some of the fanboys who thought the movie was an abomination. For Tarantino, it was OK for him to like the movie, and it’s also OK if you didn’t like the movie. That being said, he was a bit harsher with some of his words, and it’s best to let his words speak for themselves.

“I go on a show and I say that I like ‘Joker 2’ Now there’s 150 articles on it. One person listens to the thing and writes an article about it and there’s 150 ripoff articles on that. And then you read the comments: ‘Quentin is a f**king a**hole. That movie f**king sucks. He’s a f**king a**hole for saying that.’ Why am I a f**king a**hole? I liked the f**king movie! That makes me a f*cking a**hole? You either like the movie or you don’t. I’m not plugging the movie. I’m not doing anything. I’m just saying I like it. Who gives a f**k what I like? What do you care what the f**k I like?”

Quentin Tarantino Was One of the High-Profile Defenders of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Tarantino defended the Joker: Folie à Deux back in October and came out as one of the biggest filmmakers in the industry to praise the Todd Phillips film and its performances, particularly Joaquin Phoenix’s turn as Arthur Fleck. He thought the film had more to day than meets the eye, especially regarding how Phillips got Warner Bros. to hand over $200 million to make a movie that turned out to be something that most comic book movie fans dismissed before they even went to see it.

“The Joker directed the movie. The entire concept, even him spending the studio’s money — he’s spending it like the Joker would spend it, all right? … the comic book geeks. He’s saying fuck you to all of them. He’s saying fuck you to the movie audience. He’s saying fuck you to Hollywood. He’s saying fuck you to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers […] And Todd Phillips is the Joker. Un film de Joker, all right, is what it is. He is the Joker.”

John Waters Calls ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ One of the Best Films of 2024: “Stupid Critics”

It’s one of the lowest rated films of the year, but the Pope of Trash loved it.

Perhaps because Tarantino is so respected in the industry and has a filmography that represents one of the few with zero misses (at least for this guy) is the reason why some movie fans are interested in what he chooses to like and can be harsh critics of some of his choices should they disagree with them. Tarantino is a true movie fan and has been public about the wide range of films he loves and admires. It shouldn’t be surprising that fans take an interest in his tastes, but the director is pretty stern on the fact that audiences should not care about his movie preference.

“Then they say I’m a f*cking a**hole for not seeing something. What the f*ck do you care what I see or don’t see? Someone will say, ‘Well I think he’s missing out.’ Well I am sure there is a lot of sh*t I could say you’re missing out on and I don’t care if you miss out on.”

Joker: Folie à Deux was released back in October, and it was clear out of the gate that Warner Bros. would be in trouble with the film. The movie opened below expectations and was met with negative reviews, registering a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 32% Popcornmeter audience score to match on the site. The movie ultimately grossed $58 million domestically and $206 million worldwide, way off from the $1 billion global gross of the first film. According to reports, due to the film’s astronomical budget and muted box office gross, WB lost about $150 million on the project.

Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips’ critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.