With the arrival of Joker: Deux à Folie in cinemas, there’s a growing appetite for more dark dramas, gritty comic book adaptations and psychological thrillers. Read on to discover what to watch if you liked Joker 2 and where to stream them now.
The most significant film to revisit if you enjoyed Joker: Folie à Deux is Todd Phillips’ Joker from 2019. The psychological thriller introduced Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic comic book character, known in the film as Arthur Fleck, who is a failed clown and aspiring comedian who struggles with mental illness.
On a $70 million budget, the film grossed over $1 billion at the box office, becoming the first R-rated film to achieve that feat. It also became the first DC film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, while Phoenix won Best Actor and the film won Best Original Score.
These DC spin-offs are reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, which featured Heath Ledger in the iconic role as the Joker in 2008. As the second film in the franchise, The Dark Knight was a record-breaking success and became the highest-grossing superhero film of the time taking over $1 billion at the box office on a $185 million budget. It’s well regarded as one of the blueprints of modern superhero films and as one of the best films ever made.
More recently, DC has reintroduced a younger, grittier version of Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022. With Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, the film was a commercial success taking over $772 million at the box office and was nominated for three Academy Awards. There is also a spin-off series from this film, The Penguin, led by Colin Farrell, as another infamous Batman villain that is another worthwhile watch.
Outside of the superhero genre, there are other psychological thrillers that emulate the themes, energy and satirical horror evoked in Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux such as Mary Harron’s American Psycho, the 2014 Neo-noir thriller, Nightcrawler, The Vanishing and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.
Lady Gaga, who stars in the sequel as Joker’s love interest, Harley Quinn, also appears in the horror anthology series, American Horror Story in season five and six, which is another ideal series to stream after Joker 2.
Where to watch the best movies and TV shows like Joker: Folie à Deux
With so many excellent options to choose from, here’s the best films and TV shows to watch after Joker: Folie à Deux and where to stream them now.
