Is it a fluke, or some sort of brilliant marketing plan, or did Warner Bros. Discovery just totally not get how many fans Clint Eastwood still has, particularly when he makes a good movie?
These are reasonable questions after “Juror #2,” his acclaimed older-audience drama about a a man (Nicholas Hoult) sitting in judgment in a case involving himself, debuted on PVOD at #1 on iTunes for home viewing 32 days after its limited, and almost entirely unadvertised, theatrical release.
It isn’t unusual for a studio film to hit the top spot here and on other VOD charts right after its release. But that goes for hit movies with grosses in the tens of millions, substantial marketing, cast and director promotions (as well as box office reporting), all standard for a normal release.
But #1 for a film that played at most in only one theater in the cities it played in and without any ads? That’s unheard of.
The token release did get considerable media attention, and perhaps that’s a key factor. It doesn’t hurt that “Juror” stands alone as the sole new major studio VOD release this week. But still, this has to be seen as further evidence that WBD failed to grasp the interest in the film.
What makes this initial success even more ironic is that, contrary to normal procedure, this was announced after its streaming date (December 20) on Max dropped. Normally, films after (or while) playing in theaters move to PVOD, then later, streaming goes public. That typically comes perhaps two months later. In this case, it will be 17 days after PVOD.
That means anyone who subscribes to Max will see “Juror” at no extra cost, whenever they want, as opposed to paying $19.99 for a 48-hour rental. It’s hard once again not to scratch one’s head over what WBD was thinking.
Or maybe they’ve just discovered a new way to market on the cheap. Provoke outrage over the snub of a great director, at least present it in top theaters (give them credit for that), then watch as social and other media do their work for them.
Whatever the case, it appears that when it gets to Max, “Juror #2” will have elevated awareness, even if the whole strategy seems makeshift and half-assed.
