Stephen King’s latest horror hit has wasted no time on streaming. The film climbed high on HBO Max in the United States. After a successful theatrical run, the dystopian thriller has found a new audience at home. Fresh streaming rankings show the movie leading HBO Max’s U.S. Top 10 chart ahead of several high-profile releases.
The Long Walk conquers HBO Max upon streaming debut
According to FlixPatrol’s latest U.S. rankings, The Long Walk debuted at No. 1 on HBO Max. It sits ahead of titles including The Mummy, Undertone, How to Make a Killing and Deadpool 2, signaling that the Stephen King adaptation is enjoying a strong second life after theaters.
Released by Lionsgate, the film adapts one of King’s earliest novels and is directed by Francis Lawrence, whose credits include several Hunger Games movies. The cast features Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing and Judy Greer. The story follows a group of teenage boys forced into a brutal annual contest where they must keep walking above a required speed or face being killed.
The movie performed well during its theatrical release. Produced on an estimated $20 million budget, it earned over $63 million worldwide, including more than $35 million in North America. While it was not among the year’s biggest blockbusters, the film comfortably turned a profit and proved that Stephen King’s stories continue to attract audiences, no matter if it’s on the big or small screen.
The movie has been well received by both critics and audiences. It currently holds an 88% critics score and an 85% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 6.7/10 on IMDb. Many reviews have singled out Francis Lawrence’s direction, while Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson have earned praise for their performances. Critics also appreciated how the film keeps the suspense high without losing sight of the difficult moral choices that have made Stephen King’s story connect with fans for so many years.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
