“Juror No. 2” should have been a big box office hit when it first hit theaters back in November. But for whatever reason, Warner Bros. released it in just 50 theaters, essentially burying what has been touted as Clint Eastwood’s final film. The 94-year-old directed 2024’s most intense courtroom drama with “Juror No. 2”, garnering stellar reviews and a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Warner Bros., however, decided against playing up this screen legend’s final directorial effort, and seemingly only released it in theaters so the film could qualify for awards consideration.
There’s yet more evidence that the studio should have given the movie a wide release, as “Juror No. 2” has finally dropped on the Max streaming service and has become an instant hit. Is that an argument in favor of holding the movie back to ensure it makes a bigger splash on streaming? Perhaps, but as most will know by now, these streaming platforms ain’t making much money for the industry anyway, so surely a potentially bigger box office take would have interested Warner CEO David Zaslav. Alas, we simply aren’t privy to the boardroom machinations at WB, so the muted release for “Juror No. 2” will remain a mystery for now.
If you’re Oscar-winning director and all-round Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, having your final film unceremoniously dumped on streaming is surely not the swan song you envisioned. Sadly, it will likely be little comfort to see that the movie is doing well on Max. But doing well it is, with MAX audiences rallying behind Eastwood’s last effort almost immediately after it hit the MAX servers.
The verdict is in: Juror No. 2 is a Max hit
In “Juror No. 2” Nicholas Hoult, who will soon portray Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s “Superman,” plays husband and father-to-be Justin Kemp, who’s called for jury service only to immediately realize that the man on trial isn’t guilty of murder. How does he know? Because as soon as the trial begins Justin realizes that he is almost certainly responsible for the victim’s death, leading to a serious personal crisis that makes for a gripping narrative bolstered by great performances from Toni Collette (“Knives Out”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).
If that sounds like it actually might be quite good, it seems the Max audiences think so too. “Juror No. 2” hit Max on December 20, following its anticlimactic theatrical debut the month prior. Almost immediately, the film proved a hit, with viewers around the world streaming the film and sending it to the top of the most-watched charts on the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platform.
According to FlixPatrol, a site that aggregates streaming viewership data, “Juror No. 2” is charting in 48 countries around the world as of December 23, 2024. More impressive than that, the film is number one in 19 of those countries, including the United States, where it hit the chart at number one on December 22 and looks set to remain there for the foreseeable. Interestingly enough, it took U.S. viewers a tad longer than the rest of the world to send Clint Eastwood’s final movie to the top spot, as “Juror No. 2” debuted at number one in 23 countries the day after it hit Max, while the U.S. caught up a day later. The film has since remained at the top of the charts in 16 countries, which while not the kind of send-off Eastwood likely hoped for, is at least something.
Juror No. 2 could be No. 1 for Christmas
As the festive season continues, you might expect “Juror No. 2” to falter as audiences stream holiday classics in earnest. But if you take a look at the Max charts, which just recently saw Kiernan Shipka’s Thanksgiving-themed rom-com dominate, you’ll see that Clint Eastwood’s drama is seeing competition not from Christmas classic but from the critically reviled “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which became a streaming hit on the platform following its ignominious theatrical debut. The Clown Prince of Crime is currently in the number two position, with Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” sitting at number three. Those movies have been on Warner’s streaming service for a little while longer than “Juror No. 2,” so Eastwood’s drama has every chance of staying at number one throughout the remainder of the Christmas season.
Meanwhile, if Eastwood does plan on making another movie, he would be well within his rights to throw a Christopher Nolan-style tantrum and leave Warners in the dust for his next feature. For whatever reason, some exec at Warners (probably David Zaslav) seems to have thought this mid-budget legal drama would fare horribly in theaters, and while I think you could make a case for “Juror No. 2” being more suited to streaming in an age where mid-budget dramas just aren’t bringing in the big money at the box office, this is Clint Eastwood we’re talking about. Leaving aside all the evidence that “Juror No. 2” actually could have done quite well with a wide release, you gotta give the man his flowers for goodness sake. At least he can rest easy knowing the streaming crowds rallied behind his movie and if nothing else, hopefully, this whole debacle will just prompt him to make one more feature before he gives up for good.
