At this point, Warner Bros should be ashamed by the way they’ve rolled out Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2.” I also spoke to a few Oscar voters this weekend who will have it on their ballot. Having finally seen the film, I wouldn’t go as far as to put it on any awards ballots, but I can attest that it’s a very good film. An old-school procedural drama that, despite some plot holes, entertains in spades.
With that said, “Juror #2” keeps making a lot of money in countries outside the U.S. The film is currently triumphing in France, with strong reviews and over 600,000 tickets sold. In Spain and the U.K. it’s exceeding expectations. In fact, overseas receipts for Eastwood’s film, from only six selected markets, have crossed the $10M mark.
As for the U.S. box office, Warner Bros is refusing to disclose totals. The film is currently playing in 46 theaters, and we do know that it made close to $300K last week, but no numbers have leaked out for this past weekend’s Friday-Sunday showings. Why is Warners hiding the numbers? If revealed, would they further embarrass them?
All this to say, if “Juror #2” is playing near you, by all means go see it. It’s a film filled with great performances, and Eastwood’s wonderful penchant for cinematic classicism. It tackles the limits of the legal system, and the nature of truth, all of which couldn’t be more relevant today. Oh, and that final shot is a real doozy.