The popularity of Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 makes Warner Bros’ decision to largely avoid a US cinema release look increasingly out of step.
It isn’t a happy ending as such, but there is at least a sense of grim satisfaction that comes with the reveal that Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 has topped the Max streaming charts in the US every single day since the film premiered on the 20th December.
That’s a clear message from the audience to Warner Bros that there was always sizeable interest in Clint Eastwood’s latest film, and given the advancing age of many of the 94 year-old director’s fanbase, all they would have needed was a half-decent marketing campaign to make them aware that the film existed.
This is anecdotal evidence, admittedly, but afternoon senior screenings are often the fullest houses of the week at my local cinema. It’s increasingly looking like Warner Bros have dropped the ball with its decision to not give Eastwood’s film any kind of meaningful US theatrical release.
Back when Warner Bros decided to pull what could conceivably be Eastwood’s final film (given his age) from general release (apart from a handful of cinemas) last November, we called it ‘one of the more baffling stories of 2024’. While it offers some comfort to see the film find an audience on Max in the US, denying Eastwood the prestige (and basic blimmin’ courtesy) of a US theatrical release stings, not least because the film’s lack of visibility also means it won’t be celebrated at this year’s awards shows.
Read more: Juror #2 review | All rise for Clint Eastwood’s superb courtroom thriller
If you want to hear the whole sorry story, you can listen to our podcast episode on Juror #2 which incidentally, we really liked (the film, not the podcast: here’s our review). Warner Bros is trying to rebuild its tattered reputation with several big budget auteur films set to release in 2025 and 2026, with major names including Paul Thomas Anderson and Bong Joon-Ho.
However, Warner Bros’ recent history of selling cherished assets, deleting finished films and chucking cinema straight onto its streaming service without consulting directors, the studio hasn’t made itself easy to like. The success of Juror #2 on streaming only serves to highlight just how shabbily the studio has treated Eastwood and his film, and we hope that Warner Bros can at least begin to make amends in 2025.
