Warner Bros. serial-killer thriller The Little Things opened to a better-than-expected $4.8 million at 2,171 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, despite simultaneously debuting on the HBO Max streaming service.
The Little Things, which stars Denzel Washington and Rami Malek as serial-killer-hunting cops, and Jared Leto as their prime suspect, is the second Warner film to debut day-and-date on HBO Max, part of a controversial WarnerMedia strategy that has drawn the ire of the pandemic-hobbled theatrical exhibition industry, and pretty everyone else in Hollywood not employed by the studio.
Also read: HBO Max Gets WarnerMedia’s Entire 2021 Film Slate Day and Date
The performance “provides theaters with some confidence in having new and high-profile releases during the early months of this year,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice Pro, to Bloomberg.
Only around 38% of U.S. and Canadian movie houses are open right now.
“We are absolutely thrilled by how Warner Bros.’ The Little Things is performing on HBO Max--it immediately shot up to No. 1, where it currently remains,” said HBO Max executive VP and general manager Andy Forssell, to Variety. “Following the breakthrough success of Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things shows the insatiable appetite our audience has for high quality, feature films.”
Perhaps more impressive The Little Things: The box office performance was achieved despite a poor 48% aggregate critics reception on Rotten Tomatoes.
