Lady Gaga movie leaves California taxpayers $20 million out of pocket

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/waste-of-the-day-california-subsidized-joker-2-for-20-million/ar-AA1sP2GT

Topline: Some moviegoers likely wish they could get a refund after seeing "Joker: Folie à Deux" in theaters this month, given the film’s poor review scores.

In reality, it’s California taxpayers who deserve their money back. The state gave Warner Bros. Discovery almost $20 million in tax credits to produce the movie in Los Angeles, OpenTheBooks reported. The film is on track to be one of the worst box office flops of all time.

 

Key facts: California awards $330 million in tax credits each year to help keep movie producers from shooting their films elsewhere.

Warner Bros. received $182 million in credits between 2020 and 2023, including the money for “Joker.” Disney was the only studio with more tax credits in that span: over $218 million.

 

Warner Bros. Discovery had previously donated $97,000 to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign fund. Newsom accepted an additional $4 million from entertainment companies since 2018.