While everyone was paying attention to the blockbusting being accomplished by A Minecraft Movie and Sinners, all the dads got together and made The Amateur a hit. The espionage thriller features Rami Malek in his first proper leading role since he won an Oscar for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody. In the last month, The Amateur has not only shown the power of counter-programming, but also how vital it is to not ignore underserved audiences. Older crowds will leave their homes if given a reason to; they aren’t interested in watching only Reacher or Bosch.
With $38 million domestically and another $51 million from overseas markets, The Amateur has grossed over $90 million worldwide so far. Does the movie have what it takes to pass the $100 million mark globally? Only time (and its digital debut) will tell. Interestingly, The Amateur is leading Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal‘s The Accountant 2, which, despite its franchise value, has generated only around $80 million worldwide so far. In a few days, the movie might also surpass the lifetime global haul of Jason Statham‘s latest action vehicle, A Working Man, which is also set to pass the $100 million mark.
The Amateur has already overtaken a couple of Statham’s hits at the box office recently. This weekend, it passed the classic crime film Snatch, and Transporter 2. Produced on a reported budget of $60 million, The Amateur is currently among the 10 highest-grossing Hollywood hits of the year. Incidentally, it’s exactly the kind of movie that Steven Soderbergh recently said is no longer financially viable. The veteran filmmaker delivered his own mid-budget espionage movie this year — Black Bag — but was disappointed when it couldn’t recover its reported $50 million budget despite positive reviews.
‘The Amateur’ Was Embraced by Audiences
Black Bag emerged as his highest-rated film ever, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Crucially, with a 70% audience score on the platform, it wasn’t as popular with the crowds. The Amateur, on the other hand, holds an excellent 88% audience score. Perhaps this is the difference, because its 60% critics’ rating certainly didn’t deter its target audience from checking it out. The movie will likely find an even larger audience when it lands on streaming and transactional services. Also starring Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Brosnahan, The Amateur is playing in theaters.
