“Joker: Folie à Deux” is a box office dud.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ comic book sequel stumbled to first place at the domestic box office this weekend, grossing a weak $40 million, according to studio estimates.

The highly anticipated film failed to match the success of its Oscar-winning predecessor, which opened to $96.2 million in 2019 and broke the October box office record in the United States and Canada.

The second installment in director Todd Phillips’ “Joker” saga — starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga — fell far short of analyst projections, which estimated that the comic-book adaptation would launch somewhere between $50 million and $65 million domestically.

The new “Joker” also cost significantly more than its predecessor, carrying a reported budget of at least $190 million before marketing. The original cost $55 million to make.

The movie was expected to fall short of the original’s impressive debut after generating only $7 million in Thursday previews. For comparison, “Joker” amassed $13.3 million in Thursday previews.

Internationally, “Joker: Folie à Deux” earned $81.1 million for a worldwide debut gross of $121.1 million.

Rounding out the top three at the domestic box office this weekend were Universal Pictures’ “The Wild Robot,” which collected $18.7 million in its sophomore weekend for a total of $64 million so far; and Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which added $10.3 million in its fifth outing for a cumulative of $265.5 million.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” stars Phoenix as titular antihero Arthur Fleck and Gaga as his cackling love interest and partner-in-crime Harleen Francis Quinzel (better known as Harley Quinn). The main ensemble also features Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and returning cast member Zazie Beetz.

Unlike the first film — which garnered critical acclaim and 11 Oscar nominations — “Joker: Folie à Deux” has been plagued by negative reviews. The follow-up received a dreadful 34% rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal “D” grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“Folie à Deux” also deviates from “Joker” in another significant way: It’s a musical. Or, as Phillips has tactfully described it, “a movie where music is an essential element.”

“There are 11 songs on the soundtrack album and more than that in the movie, presented in full or in pieces. The numbers sometimes serve a narrative purpose, other times not so much,” writes Michael Ordoña for the L.A. Times.

“The performers are game, but these musical breaks try our patience. They often interrupt the momentum, and there’s not much of that to begin with, with no attempt to create suspense regarding the verdict or any grand plan Arthur [Phoenix] or Lee [Gaga] might hatch. That lack of mirthful masterminding reminds us, painfully, that this isn’t anything close to ‘Joker.’ ”

Opening in theaters next weekend are Cineverse Corp.’s “Terrifier 3,” Sony Pictures’ expansion of “Saturday Night,” Focus Features’ “Piece by Piece,” A24’s “We Live in Time” and Toho International’s “My Hero Academia: You’re Next.”

When you watch a David Cronenberg film, you pretty much have to expect something done in a unique register. Whether it’s his various body horror works or when he tackles other genres, it’s handled in a manner unlike most other storytellers. So, when it comes to The Shrouds, of course a Cronenberg movie about grief would be different than any other put on celluloid. Playing at the New York Film Festival, it’s a flick that has much to ponder, though how much of it translates to the audience will depend on the viewer.

The Shrouds is a movie with a lot on its mind, even if surprisingly little happens over the course of its two hour runtime. It’s meant to evoke feelings, while also being fairly clinical for a story about grief. As befits Cronenberg, conspiracy and technology also loom large, as does some kink, so there’s genre work at play, even if this isn’t another effort in the horror genre for the filmmaker.

In the near future, Karsh (Vincent Cassel) is a successful businessman who has developed a type of software within a special “shroud” that, paired with his graves, allows the grieving to check in on their passed loved ones, observing the gradual decay while buried. Known as GraveTech, it’s clearly not for everyone, but it means a lot to him, especially as he’s mourning the loss of his wife Becca (Diane Kruger). Karsh tries to date, but he mostly talks about her and the technology, so he’s not exactly a hoot. Most of his time is spent either with his former sister in law Terry (Kruger as well), her ex-husband Maury (Guy Pearce) who handles his computer operations, or his AI assistant Hunny.

When some of the graves are vandalized, Karsh begins to investigate. What starts out as a personal mission quickly becomes something else, as a potential conspiracy unravels. At the same time, he begins a sexual relationship with Terry, one that Maury has been fretting over the possibility of for some time. As the crisis deepens, Karsh starts wondering if he’s losing it, if something nefarious is afoot, or if both are possibilities.

Making star Vincent Cassel up to look like Cronenberg himself is certainly a choice, but there’s still a fine performance here to consider. Cassel has to depict grief in a very distinct manner while still getting everything across to the audience, which he largely succeeds at. As filmmaker surrogates go, it works. Diane Kruger has multiple roles to play, but it’s largely Terry that we see her in action, and it’s a strong performance. She’s really leaning into some of the kink elements that the filmmaker loves, too, which is a fun little bonus. For a therapy style work, Cronenberg still can’t help himself. Guy Pearce is a bit more mannered here than I’d like, but it’s still another interesting performance from someone incapable of not grabbing your attention. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Dale, Sandrine Holt, Elizabeth Saunders, Steve Switzman, Jeff Yung, and more.

Writer/director David Cronenberg is working in a different register here, obviously given the loss of his own wife. The Shrouds starts out largely mellow, only going up in escalation in the back end. Now, the third act does kind of fall apart, but it’s not a death blow for the film. Instead, it just showcases some of the limits of the story Cronenberg is penning. That being said, the moments of humor are well placed, so there’s a break in the dour nature at times. His direction is as solid as ever, even showcasing periodic restraint. It’s perhaps middle of the road for his career, but that still isn’t half bad.

The Shrouds works best as a Cronenberg curiosity, given the newfound subject matter and his personal connection. If you’re a fan of his, especially if you’re invested in him as a person, there’s plenty to chew on. As a full on film, it’s more hit or miss, but there’s enough here to warrant a recommendation. This is unlikely to be a movie that highlights NYFF this year, but it’s certainly going to stand out, at least a bit.

SCORE: ★★★

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It’s been less than a year since comedian Nate Bargatze made his debut hosting “Saturday Night Live,” but the appearance was so well received that he’s back already, alongside a stacked lineup of Season 50 hosts that include Jean Smart, John Mulaney and Michael Keaton.

Was it as strong a showing as last time? Not exactly. The monologue was more scattershot and less finely crafted than last year’s and the sketches were less uniformly great, but there was still some strong material. Bargatze’s every-guy vibe still fits “SNL” nicely, particularly in sketches where he’s playing with language, such as a sequel to 2023’s fantastic George Washington weights and measurements scene or a pitch perfect “Sábado Gigante” parody (it only took 50 years) in which Bargatze plays a befuddled audience member pulled into the show with only a rudimentary — but not completely blank — understanding of the Spanish being spoken around him. Bargatze led a funny pre-taped sketch in which a golf tournament competitor keeps inadvertently harming wildlife on the course.

Elsewhere, Bargatze played an EMT who, with his partner (Michael Longfellow), is trying to convince water park workers to let a dead body go down a slide rather than carry it down 255 steps. He portrayed a coach who wants to be paid for football jerseys and the husband of a woman (Heidi Gardner) determined to win a very messy eating challenge at a restaurant. Musical guests Coldplay performed “All My Love” and “We Pray,” the latter featuring Palestinian singer Elyanna and Argentine singer Tini. A title card before the closing hugs honored Kris Kristofferson, who died Sept. 28 at 88. The singer-songwriter and actor hosted “SNL” in 1976 during the show’s first season.

As with Bargatze as host, this week’s cold open was a case of: “It worked great, let’s do it again.” All the guest stars who appeared in last week’s cold open were back for the “SNL” take on the vice presidential debate. Bowen Yang and Jim Gaffigan returned as Sen. J.D. Vance and Gov. Tim Walz, respectively, on the debate stage, while Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) and husband Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) watched at home and were visited by a mostly confused President Biden (Dana Carvey).

Kamala, on top of the world, celebrated endorsements from Liz Cheney and Bruce Springsteen, but her joy was short-lived as she watched Walz flub lines — “I’m friends with school shooters” — and got too friendly with Vance. “Why are they friends?” she cried. “Why are they vibing?” On the debate stage, Vance and Walz get so familiar that they try to touch hands across the split scene while “Take My Breath Away” plays. Walz explained his mistake about saying he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre by telling viewers he forgot he was at Epcot. Vance, meanwhile, inserted mid-sentence pleas to not be fact checked while expressing support for former President Trump.

But like last week, it was Dana Carvey’s Biden impression that stole the show, whether he was announcing things that are down, like gas prices and Emmys for “The Bear,” or waving an ice cream cone that landed ice cream on Kamala’s face. As Rudolph maintained her composure even as ice cream dripped down her chin, it was hard to forget that Carvey and David Spade, the co-host of “Fly on the Wall” podcast, said this week that sometimes physical ad libs or flubs on the show are really accidental-on-purpose, as was the case with Biden burying his head in Kamala’s hair on last week’s show.

Bargatze’s monologue was shorter than last time around and without a strong close, but it still had great lines as the comedian discussed going to community college (“… where they’re like, ‘You’re probably staying in your community.’”) and, at length, his addiction to processed foods (“I’m a farm-factory-table guy.”) and ordering junk food from DoorDash late at night. Bargatze said he’s even double-dashed, ordering from two places simultaneously on the food-delivery service, which causes him anxiety when two different drivers show up at the same time. “I need one of them to get in a wreck! I’m mortified!” he said. There were also funny bits about the “extra” in extra virgin olive oil and what happened when he ate a raspberry for the first time at the age of 40. Unlike last year’s monologue, this one wasn’t as razor sharp, but the material overall had the comic’s signature specificity and bafflement at the world.

Best sketch of the night: Washington returns to claim freedom for hot-dog lovers

Diminishing returns are sometimes fine if the original was this strong. In a sequel to the weights and measure sketch, George Washington (Bargatze) stands on a boat, telling his soldiers about the future of the English language. A dozen is a word for 12, but, “Only 12 shall have its own word.” We’ll spell Jeff two ways, one with a J and, “The stupid way with the G.” A hot dog, Washington says, will not be made of dogs. But when asked what they’re made of, he says, “Nobody knows.” When a soldier questions that, he’s invited to leave the boat, right into the water. Like last time, Washington largely ignores questions from a soldier (Kenan Thompson) over what will happen to slaves after the war, at least this war in 1776.

Also good: You don’t have to know Spanish to understand ‘Sábado Gigante’

Bargatze plays an audience member called on stage by host Don Francisco (Marcello Hernández), who leads him through a random set of sketches, dance numbers and game-show segments, which is not at all different from what the real show was like; ask anybody who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household before 2015. For Hernández’s absolute commitment to the sketch, Bargatze’s so-real-it-stings confusion, the kid in the beard dressed like Bargatze’s character, and the puppet orange in a sailor suit, this one wins our hearts as much as winning five dogs on a game show might.

Will probably go viral: ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ is the new ‘Dick in a Box’

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Slotted as it was so late in the show, a new “SNL” digital short featuring Lonely Island’s Samberg and Akiva Schaffer was so surprising, catchy and pushing the line of good taste that it feels like something that could take off in a big way online. (The term “Sushi Glory Hole,” in fact, was already trending on X shortly after the episode aired.) The premise? Two musicians (or are they businessmen?) pitch the idea of a hole in a bathroom wall that feeds you fresh sushi. That’s it. That’s the joke. But it’s taken to hilariously dumb lengths even as those being pitched (Maya Rudolph among them) are just trying to leave the room.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Jane Wickline stayed at the party too long

It sometimes takes a while to get to know new cast members, but this segment was a nice introduction. Jane Wickline appeared in the water slide sketch as the only voice of reason and in a “Weekend Update” segment, playing piano and singing about staying overnight at a party that has long since stopped being a party. When Colin Jost tries to wrap up the song midway through, she says, “I intend to keep singing.” Clever, playful lyrics and a strong performance suggest great things to come on “SNL” for Jane Wickline.