As if things couldn’t get any worse for Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ Paul Schrader, ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Raging Bull’ screenwriter, said he couldn’t make it through the movie before getting up to leave only 25 minutes in (after already leaving previously to get refreshments).

In a talk with Interview magazine, the writer/filmmaker said: “I saw ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ I saw about 10 or 15 minutes of it. I left, bought something, came back, saw another 10 minutes. That was enough. — [It’s a] really bad musical.”

Paul Schrader at the 'Oh, Canada' premiere at TIFF, 2024.
Courtesy of Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images.

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Review: A Frustrating Musical With Great Performances Among A Flustered Story

Schrader openly spoke about his disliking of lead Joker actor (Arthur Fleck) Joaquin Phoenix, and Lady Gaga, who joined the franchise as a new take on Harley Quinn.

“I don’t like either of those people,” Schrader continued. “I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door.”

Schrader directed his attention to new indie release ‘My First Film’ as a better box office alternative. “The most exciting one I saw in the last week or two is ‘My First Film,'” Schrader said. “I think that’s really good.”

RELATED: Francis Ford Coppola Praises ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Director Todd Phillips: “He’s Always One Step Ahead of the Audience”

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ premiered on September 4, 2024 at the Venice Film Festival, shortly followed by a slew of negative reviews from attendees and critics — a full month before it released in worldwide theatres.

Unlike it’s $1 billion dollar predecessor, the sequel tanked by 81% in its second weekend. The film is already halting around $165 million at the global box office — a worrying number for Warner Bros. considering ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ holds a $200 million budget.

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