The Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, 94, was hit with a crushing blow when Warner Bros. decided to put his new movie Juror #2, which is set to be the final film that he’ll direct, in just 50 theaters.
Despite this, the movie is beating the odds by hitting at the box office. It’s proving studio executives wrong in a big way!
Juror #2 Only In 50 Theaters
Juror #2 is to be the last movie that Eastwood will direct. It caps off an incredible Hollywood career that spans seven decades and countless hits – even several classics. Eastwood has directed two Best Picture winners at the Oscars, 1992’s Unforgiven and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby. He’s also made countless other movies that have entranced audiences for generations.
That’s why many felt that it was a slap in the face to Eastwood when Warner Bros. elected to only put Juror #2 in 50 theaters.
“It’s an injustice that duds like Joker: Folie a Deux and Megalopolis played on thousands of screens around the country while Clint Eastwood’s engrossing new film about justice, Juror No. 2, will only grace 50,” Johnny Oleksinski wrote for The New York Post.
“The swell courtroom drama could very well be the 94-year-old Million Dollar Baby director’s swan song, though he hasn’t said as much,” he continued. “And why should the gunslinger jump the gun? The man still knows how to make a damn good movie. How bizarre that most audiences will have to wait for the streaming debut to see Eastwood’s film.”
Related: Clint Eastwood, 94, Hit With Crushing Blow As Warner Bros. Buries His Final Movie ‘Juror #2’
Warner Bros. Executives Doubted Eastwood
It seems that despite Eastwood’s decades of success, studio executives at Warner Bros. no longer have faith in his abilities at such an advanced age. One source told Variety that they initially weren’t even going to release Juror No. 2 in theaters at all. Instead, they planned to send it right to streaming. Thankfully, they changed their minds at the last minute, but skeptics within the studio continued to fight against the film.
Another source explained that Juror #2 “emerged as a point of contention at the studio” in the wake of WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery, Inc. CEO David Zaslav reportedly didn’t believe that the movie would turn a profit. He went so far as to question why it was even made in the first place, showing an insulting level of disrespect towards Eastwood.
Much to the surprise of the executives at Warner Bros., however, Eastwood is proving them all wrong!
Related: Clint Eastwood, 93, Wraps Filming On Final Movie ‘Juror No. 2’
Juror #2 Beats The Odds At Box Office
Indeed, despite only being seen in 50 theaters, Juror #2 is doing very well at the box office! It’s clear that Eastwood’s loyal audience is flocking to whatever theater they can, just to see the legendary director’s last film.
Deadline reporting from 35 theaters indicates that Juror #2‘s projected 3-day domestic opening weekend total is between $260,000 and $275,000. This comes out to a solid per-screen average of around $7,500.
“To compare, the opening weekend per-screen average for Venom: The Last Dance, which cost more than 3 times Juror #2‘s roughly $35 million budget, was only $12,348, while the comparably budgeted Smile 2 has a per-screen average of $6,361,” Screenrant reported.
Juror #2 Hits Overseas
On top of that, Variety has confirmed that Juror #2 has debuted overseas with $5 million in only six territories that include France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Juror #2 additionally has a near-perfect Certified Fresh 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This means that it could easily garner Oscar buzz as awards season gets going, should Warner Bros. allow it to be seen more.
Perhaps the numbers that are coming in will convince Warner Bros. executives that they were wrong all along. In the end, they should have had more faith in Eastwood. He may be 94, but he still knows his stuff!
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