Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga
Millions in salaries thanks to “Joker 2” roles
Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in their roles as Joker and Harley Quinn.
© [M] 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. TM & DC Comics / imago/MediaPunch
Apparently there is no saving on the set of “Joker: Folie à Deux”: Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix earn millions in salaries for their roles.
More and more details are coming to light about the highly anticipated sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Most recently, new photos from the lavishly designed film set were published in mid-February, once again showing Joaquin Phoenix (49) in the title role and Lady Gaga (37) as Harley Quinn. As “Variety” reports, citing several inside sources, the two will receive millions of dollars for their performances.
$200 million budget for “Joker: Folie à Deux”
According to the report, Phoenix will receive around 20 million dollars (around 18 million euros) for his renewed appearance as Arthur Fleck. For Lady Gaga it is said to be around 12 million dollars (around 11 million euros). The total budget for the musical sequel by Todd Phillips (53) is said to be around 200 million US dollars (around 184 million euros) – a significant increase.
Four times the salary as an Oscar winner
For comparison: According to the report, 60 million dollars (around 55 million euros) were invested in the first part “Joker” (2019). The blockbuster brought in worldwide box office revenue of 1.07 billion dollars (around 986 million euros). In 2019 it made it to sixth place on the list of the most successful films of the year. He was also nominated for an Oscar eleven times, including two awards for “Best Film Score” and “Best Actor” for Phoenix.
The fact that the sequel has a significantly higher budget seems unsurprising after the great success of part one. Phoenix allegedly received a salary of 4.5 million dollars (around 4.1 million euros) for the first part – as an Oscar winner he now receives almost four times that amount. And Lady Gaga has also been an Oscar winner since 2019. Her song “Shallow” in “A Star Is Born” won Best Song.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” will be released in theaters by Warner Bros. on October 4th.