Just three months ago, Hollywood went into awards season expecting that Joker: Folie à Deux by Todd Phillips (Read / Movie Review) would be both a runaway blockbuster and a serious Oscar contender like its predecessor, The Joker, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. It had Joaquin Phoenix, one of Hollywood's most formidable talents (and the infamous snowflakes, as Todd Haynes would probably tell you) returning to the role that earned him the Best Actor trophy, and the franchise's wonderful addition in Lady Gaga, whose wild variation on the Joker's love interest Harley Quinn was expected to land her in the running for her second Best Actress nomination.

None of this came to pass.

After opening weekend, projections were gradually lowered from $100 million to $45 million. "Joker: Folie à Deux" flopped in its opening frame at the box office with a paltry $38 million (while "Joker" earned $40 million on its opening day in 2019). Reviews were terrible, with moviegoers rating it a deadly D via the Cinemascore poll. After an 81% drop in its second weekend (the worst ever for a DC film), "Joker: Folie à Deux" disappeared from the nation's theaters, and the only clown that mattered in American theaters by the end of the fall was called Art. .

The botched future blockbuster was so toxic that it seemed destined to be forever relegated to the dustbin of cinema, never to be discussed again. Well, it's the week before Christmas, and I have some semi-cheerful news for Phillips and his wound-licking co-stars.

According to FlixPatrol"Joker: Folie à Deux" is currently Max's most streamed film since its debut last week on the service. This means it's even ahead of the recently added Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and yuletide favorites Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Does this mean that "Joker: Could Folie à Deux reverse its fortunes by becoming a late-breaking streaming? And, if so, could a third Joker movie still be on the cards? God no. Even if the movie is number one on the service for a month or two (which won't happen), there's no way they'll catch on, David Zaslav mismanaged Warner Bros. will risk another $200 million on another round with Phoenix and Gaga (especially since the sequel's ending complicates what might happen next). For now, WB should enjoy this very small victory and focus on it A new series of DC films by James Gunn (as well as Matt Reeves' Batman sequel). Because while a lot of people are watching Joker: Folie à Deux at home, they're probably just as disappointed by the ersatz musical as the rest of us in October.