The films Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Joker: Folie à Deux have found themselves in an exclusive yet unfortunate category among blockbuster sequels. As contenders for recognition at the 97th Academy Awards, which will occur on March 2, 2025, they are part of a rare group that includes only two other sequels that failed to secure any Oscar nominations despite their predecessors receiving critical acclaim. Surprisingly, both movies are projected to be among the highest-grossing flops of 2024 rather than the leading candidates for the prestigious awards in 2025.
Furiosa’s disappointing box office performance has come as a shock, especially when compared to Joker 2, which faced criticism from both fans and critics alike. The sequel to the 2019 hit Joker holds a strikingly low score of just 31% on Rotten Tomatoes for both critiques and audience reactions. This contrasts sharply with the original film’s triumph, which helped Joaquin Phoenix clinch the Best Actor Oscar. Conversely, Furiosa has received praise, boasting an impressive certified Fresh rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, yet it remains overlooked by the Academy.
Furiosa & Joker 2: Unrecognized by the Academy Despite Their Historic Predecessors
Joker 2: A Downturn for Todd Phillips’ Franchise and Furiosa’s Unfortunate Oversight
Both Furiosa and Joker 2 have entered the undesirable ranks of sequels that missed out on Oscar nominations. Their predecessors, Mad Max: Fury Road and Joker, were immensely successful, receiving over 10 nominations each in their respective years, including Best Picture.Joker won two Academy Awards, while Fury Road triumphed with six Oscars in various technical categories such as Production Design and Costume Design. Given their prior achievements, expectations were high for these follow-ups to claim similar honors.
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It may not come as a surprise that a prequel like Furiosa—lacking the returning leads of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron from Fury Road—struggled to gain Academy recognition. Additionally, the lackluster reviews of Joker 2 did little to bolster its chances. As the Oscar nomination list typically favors a carefully curated selection of films, with titles like Wicked, Emilia Pérez, and The Brutalist, it’s clear that both Furiosa and Joker 2 faced substantial hurdles. Although Furiosa could have potentially snuck into categories like Editing and Visual Effects, its performance at the box office likely hindered its Oscar aspirations.
The Unique Club of Oscar-Less Blockbusters: Furiosa & Joker 2
Rocky II & The Exorcist II: A Shared Fate in Oscars History
Before the rise of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Joker: Folie à Deux, only two sequels had experienced similar Oscar misfortune: Rocky II (1979) and The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977).The original Rocky film made history by clinching the first Best Picture Oscar awarded to a sports movie, a feat matched only by Chariots of Fire and Million Dollar Baby.
The direct sequels to Rocky and The Exorcist have lived under the long shadow cast by their acclaimed predecessors, and now Joker 2 and Furiosa have joined this unfortunate legacy.
The original The Exorcist stands out as the first horror film to receive a Best Picture nomination, a significant milestone that further emphasizes the prevailing disappointment felt as both Joker 2 and Furiosa, despite high expectations, join these ranks of neglected sequels.
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