The headlines were grim. Robert Zemeckis' new film was slapped with negative reviews and a B CinemaScore from the public Here opened to just $4.8 million from 2,642 North American theaters over the weekend of November 1-3, despite the intriguing possibility of seeing the veteran director reunite with stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for the first time since their seminal, Oscar-winning film. Forrest Gump three decades ago.
All major studios have stopped creating Here when Miramax bought the generational metaphysical drama. Miramax sold foreign rights and managed to secure a distribution deal with Sony's Tri-Star, which has no money in the $45 million film.
There's simply too much competition in terms of fall movies aimed at older consumers. But that demo isn't exactly made up of regular viewers. Rather, older generations have become accustomed to watching new releases at home relatively quickly after they open in theaters, thanks to smaller windows and the rise of streamers in the post-pandemic era. So when this audience decides to show up, they pay close attention to what the critics say. (Over 45% of the audience for both Conclave AND Here were 55 or older, an unheard of statistic.)
Case in point, awards contender from Edward Berger and Focus Features Conclave is among the few adult dramas that is working on a national basis. Featuring stellar reviews and a B+ CinemaScore, it opened with $6.6 million the weekend before Herethe best result among a series of films in competition at fall film festivals that have fallen rapidly at the box office, including Jason Reitman and Sony SNL love letter Saturday evening and anti-Donald Trump doc The Apprentice. And then there was Francis Ford Coppola's megabomb Megalopoliswhich earned $13 million globally against a budget of $120 million. Conclave even beat Here in its second weekend, falling just 20% to $5.3 million from 1,796 theaters.
“There has truly been an auteur-driven cinematic malaise of late, as a slew of films from some of the most famous and iconic directors have met with audience indifference in this very challenging market environment,” says Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian.
The box office analyst adds: “Titles like Megalopolis AND Herefor which the target audience is the mature moviegoer, have struggled to inspire the “want to see” factor needed to turn awareness into actual moviegoing, and the box office has suffered from this harsh reality.
Clint Eastwood and Warner Bros.' Juror n.2 also open on the weekend from 1st to 3rd November in front Herebut anyone curious about how it went won't be able to find out, since it was only an awards qualifying run and no takings were reported. Insiders say it was shown in about 35 theaters. The film has been screened for a few reviewers and boasts a stellar 91% fresh critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, prompting box office bloggers to predict that Warner will definitely change its mind and give the film a real theatrical run.
According to several sources he spoke to The Hollywood journalistthis is not in the plans. The plan remains to send the film, starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, JK Simmons and Paul Bettany, to Max over the holidays (the streamer hasn't announced a specific date).
The film's budget is reportedly less than $35 million; a nationwide theatrical release would involve tens of millions in marketing costs.
The relationship between theaters and streaming is a sensitive topic for WBD in the aftermath of “Project Popcorn,” which was orchestrated by Jason Kilar's previous regime and gave all 2021 films a dual release date in theaters and on Max in a surprise move that infuriated talent and cinema.
But growing the subscriber base is a primary goal for WBD boss David Zaslav – as it is for his rivals who have streaming services – and a Clint Eastwood movie could be a tempting stocking stuffer, just like Salem's Lot era. And giving the film a string of awards qualifiers probably makes Eastwood happy (the prolific Eastwood is a beloved figure on the Warner lot). There has never been an official announcement on the matter Juror n.2 being the first of his films to be made for Max, compared to the cinema.
Warners is releasing Juror n.2 in theaters in eight foreign markets where Eastwood is a beloved director, including France (it has already earned $5 million in six markets). Although he is admired in the United States as a director, his more recent films have fared better when he is also the star, although his latest film, 2021 Cry Machohas surpassed $17 million worldwide. 2019 Richard Jewelldirected by him alone, it was also a major disappointment, grossing $44 million globally. Ditto for 2018 3.17pm for Paris. (Of the three, he only starred in the first.)
Prior to that, he had achieved a number of notable victories, including, to name just a few, The Mule, American sniper, Gran Torino – in everything he acted in – and Sullywith Hanks.
By avoiding a theatrical release, Eastwood and Warner can avoid the bad press that Zemeckis and Hanks have to endure Here Should Juror n.2 they disappointed.
But not everyone is convinced that the verdict is final Juror n.2it's destiny.
“A film like Juror n.2 will ultimately find success thanks to the universal outpouring of rave reviews lavished on the latest and potentially definitive film by the legendary and iconic Clint Eastwood and in this rather slow pre- and post-election film market it could build an audience and a box office beyond just a 'Academy that takes place in cinemas,' says Dergarabedian. “Having said that, Juror n.2 will undoubtedly be a strong draw for Max, offering discerning film fans the chance to see a great adult drama from the comfort of their own living room. There's no doubt that from a creative standpoint the big screen will remain the best place to see a film like this, but ultimately it has to make strategic and financial sense. It's not an easy calculation to make.”