Summary
Marvel andDChave been strong multimedia rivals for decades, and both franchises have found themselves competing once more for a prize that neither company is going to be particularly proud to receive.
The superhero comic book film genre has become the mainstay of Hollywood projects, with Marvel and DC’s hegemonic control of mainstream comics leading to a proportional market share in the realm of adaptations. Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe really got going after the release ofIron Man, the two franchises have dedicated a ton of their energy to outdoing one another. More recently, these projects have seen a noticeable drop in interest from fans and (as a result) less success at the box office. One of the most notable of these was the 2024Jokersequel, a follow-up to the billion-dollar success of Todd Phillip’s 2019 film. With the landscape as it was, fans and critics alike knew it would fall short, andJoker: Folie à Deuxlooked ready to bomb as badly asThe Flashdid the year priorearly on in the box office predictions.
Despite the warning signs, there was always a chance thatJoker: Folie à Deuxwould rally and surprise fans and critics with its box office performance, much in the same way the first film confounded everyone despite major controversy. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the film would indeed flop monumentally, and whileJoker: Folie à Deuxhad a shot at becoming an Oscar-nominated filmdespite that box office failure, a more fitting honor is close at hand for the film. As seen on the official website forThe Razzie Awards,Joker: Folie à Deuxis on the list for the 45th Razzie Nominations a stunning 7 times (despite the official summary claiming it has 6), having one more nomination than the next four highest, all of which are tied for second place with 6. In addition toBorderlands, Megalopolis,andReagan,the notably derided Marvel flopMadame Webalso holds six nominations for this iteration of the satirical awards show.
Madame Web was arguably an even bigger disappointment thanJoker: Folie à Deuxas the latter did benefit from being a sequel to a box-office hit,a favor thatMadame Webis unlikely to bestow on another project. However, the Razzies aren’t determined by popularity, so there’s an even chance of winning for both films. With only nine categories total on the list, the DC Elseworlds film and Sony Marvel project are competing for four of the least desirable honors available. These include the categories for Worst Picture, Screenplay, Director, and Actress (to be decided between leading ladies Lady Gaga and Dakota Johnson). While neither project is a part of the mainline MCU or DCU, there’s little the franchises can do to distance themselves from these flops. The potential awards are a ton of negative attention that neither company will greatly appreciate at this juncture and is salt in the wound for Sony, which recently threw in the towel after the R-ratedKraven the Hunterfailed to garner real success.
Fortunately, things are in a better place for both franchises, as Sony has given up on trying to make Spider-Man films without Spider-Man, and DC’s newer Elseworlds project,The Penguin,was a massive success. On the mainline side of things,Deadpool & Wolverinecarried the year for Marvel Studios, and theearlySupermantest screening have earned peak MCU-level comparisons. While it’s a bit too early to say, fans can hold out some hope that both franchises will shake off the stink and get back to the consistency that fans saw in the 2010s.
TheJokerfilms are available to stream on Max, whileMadame Webis available to stream on Netflix.
