Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal deliver some really likable performances inThe Accountant 2.Asequel to Gavin O’Connor’s 2016 filmsees savant accountant Christian Wolff (Affleck) return after a key character from the first film is killed.
While Christian’s brother, Braxton (Bernthal), was also in the first movie, he is featured more heavily in the second film.The Accountant 2’s trailers, posters, and other promotional material really emphasized both characters, and the duo has done a lot of press together. The sequel is still focused on action scenes, but the pair’s unique brotherly love brings a sense of levity.
The Accountant 2has gotten decent reviews since its release. The film holds a 77% Tomatometer, making itCertified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.One of its champions wasScreenRant’s Graeme Guttmann, who gave the film 7 out of 10 stars and said it “surpasses the first film.”
The Accountant 2has also received positive reception from audiences. The Popcornmeter is a Verified hot 92%, while the first movie had just a 77% Popcornmeter. Now, the movie is trending again, but its new success brings about some questions about the franchise’s future.
The Accountant 2 Has Become A Huge Hit On Prime Video
And It’s Maintained Its Spot For Two Weeks
The Accountant 2became available to stream on Prime Video on June 5. Since its release a few weeks ago, the action sequel has taken the No. 1 spot on the streamer’s charts for two consecutive weeks.It has rarely been shaken from this position, even when acclaimed movies like the Primeoriginal movieDeep Coverhave been released.
This chart indicates how interested audiences still are inThe Accountant 2. The film came out in theaters on April 25 but has maintained a consistent level of success even in the weeks since. This is good news for the health of the franchise, even though the streamerhas yet to confirmThe Accountant 3.
The Accountant 2 Wasn’t As Big Of A Box Office Success As The First Movie
While audiences are tuning into the film now,The Accountant 2was not the box office success that it could have been.The film grossed $102 million worldwide.While respectable, given its release date, it was likely not enough to recoup its estimated $80 million budget.
It also was not enough to beat out the first movie. Despite being the first movie in the series,The Accountantbrought in $155 million globallyupon its 2016 release. Even more notably, it did so on a $44 million budget.
As such,The Accountant 2brought in less money overall, and on a higher budget. It makes sense that the studio would award O’Connor more money after making a successful series debut, but it did not pay off quite in the way that they hoped.
I Won’t Be Surprised If The Accountant 3 Becomes A Streaming Exclusive Movie Now
The Profits Are Trending Downward
The fact thatThe Accountantseries is now trending down in profit could signal a shift for any future installments of the series.The Accountant 3has not yet been confirmed, butO’Connor has been vocal about wanting to make another film.
The lower profit does not mean thatThe Accountant 3will not be made. In fact, the reception of the sequel was significantly better than the first, which had a rotten Tomatometer score from critics.
Rather,The Accountant 3will be more likely than ever to be a streaming exclusive.This move would likely save Amazon MGM money on publicity and distribution costs, lowering the budget. Plenty of films have taken this avenue, especially when a movie does not do as well in theaters.
That said, it is very possible that Affleck or O’Connor would try to push Amazon MGM towards a theatrical release. After all, the team behindThe Accountant 2has been pretty vocal about their support of the movie and would likely want to give the series another shot theatrically.
The fact thatThe Accountant 2is doing well on streaming could actually end up working against the potential threequel’s theatrical hopes. Its trending status shows thatThe Accountantmovies can do well on streaming platforms, which could signal streaming exclusivity in the future.
The Accountant 2
Cast
The Accountant 2 sees Ben Affleck reprising his role as Christian Wolff. When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff enlists his estranged brother, Brax, to unravel a deadly conspiracy. Alongside Marybeth Medina, they confront a relentless network of killers determined to maintain their secrets.
