Part of the reason whyThe Accountant 2exists is that the first film,The Accountant, has developed a major cult following in the nine years since its release. Not only was it enough to spawn a sequel,unlike the recentAnother Simple Favor— a follow-up toA Simple Favor—The Accountant 2received a theatrical release. The movie debuted at the third spot domestically in its first weekend, and has already passed the $40 million mark at the global box office. While it’s still a ways away from recovering its reported budget and potentially turning a profit,The Accountant 2has already generated twice as much as starBen Affleck’s big-budget directorial dudLive by Night.
The gangster dramagrossed around $22 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $90 million.The Accountant 2cost around the same amount, but hasalready grossed $42 million worldwide in less than a week. Of this total, nearly $30 million has come from domestic theaters. By comparison, the original film generated over $150 million worldwide in 2016 — incidentally, the same year asLive by Night— and found an even bigger audience on streaming and transactional services in its post-theatrical run.Live by Nightmarked Affleck’s fourth feature film, afterGone Baby Gone,The Town, andArgo— each of which were critical and commercial successes.
The movie featured an all-star cast, includingElle Fanning,Brendan Gleeson,Chris Messina,Sienna Miller,Zoe Saldaña, andChris Cooper. In addition to its poor box office performance — it reportedly lost Warner Bros. over $70 million — the movie also received poor reviews. It holds a “rotten” 35% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a just-as-disappointing 42% audience rating. The aggregator’s consensus reads, “Live by Nightboasts visual style and an impressive cast, but they’re lost in a would-be crime saga that finds producer, director, and star Ben Affleck revisiting familiar themes to diminishing effect.”
‘The Accountant 2’ Is a Hit with Audiences
The Accountant 2, on the other hand,opened to critical acclaim. It holds a “certified fresh” 77%Rotten Tomatoesscore, and an even better 93% audience rating.In his reviewfor Collider,Nate Richardwrote, “The Accountant 2finds an even balance between the action and the drama. WhileBill Dubuque’s screenplay isn’t necessarily deep or going to take home any Oscars, it has a very strong understanding of its characters.” Also starringJon BernthalandJ.K. Simmons, the movie is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
The Accountant 2
When her former boss is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina is forced to contact Christian Wolff to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax, Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive—all intent on putting a stop to their search.
