This Movie With 84% On RT Sets The Bar Very High For Ben Affleck's Upcoming $155M Sequel

Summary The Way Back had much better critical reception than The Accountant, setting a higher bar for The Accountant 2 to match in terms of quality.

The Accountant 2 will surely surpass The Way Back at the box office, but its uncertain whether it will be of the same caliber.

The Accountant sequel will see the return of several original characters, with Jon Bernthal taking on a bigger role as Brax.

This article contains spoilers for The Accountant (2016)

One of Ben Affleck's critically acclaimed films sets the bar high for his upcoming sequel The Accountant 2, and it's not the first The Accountant movie. Directed by Gavin O'Connor, The Accountant centers on Affleck's Christian Wolff, a brilliant forensic accountant on the autism spectrum who works with criminal organizations to clean up their financial records. The action thriller was a commercial success upon release in 2016, grossing $155.5 million worldwide at the box office (via Box Office Mojo).

A sequel has been in limbo since 2017, but now, The Accountant 2 is officially confirmed to be in the works from Amazon MGM Studios. O'Connor will return as director with Affleck set to star and co-produce with Matt Damon under their production company, Artists' Equity. Filming began on March 25, 2024, though no official release date has been announced. Like any sequel, there will be pressure to live up to the first installment, but the movie that The Accountant 2 really has to measure up to isn't The Accountant at all.

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Related The Accountant Cast & Character Guide The Accountant stars Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow.

The Way Back, Not The Accountant, Sets The Bar High For The Accountant 2

The Way Back Was O'Connor & Affleck's Second Collaboration After The Accountant

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The Way Back Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available The Way Back stars Ben Affleck as Jack Cunningham, a depressed alcoholic who is offered a job coaching his former school's basketball team. As his work with the team begins to improve his life, Jack is also forced to confront his past demons, leading to disastrous consequences. Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, and Janina Gavankar also star. Director Gavin O'Connor Release Date March 6, 2020 Cast Da'Vinchi , Jayne Taini , Hayes MacArthur , Melvin Gregg , Caleb Thomas , Rachael Carpani , Al Madrigal , Janina Gavankar , Lukas Gage , Marlene Forte , T.K. Carter , Ben Affleck , Christine Horn , Chris Bruno Runtime 115 minutes Budget $25 million

Four years after The Accountant was released, Affleck and O'Connor set a new standard for The Accountant 2 to be held to. In 2020, the actor-director duo reunited for The Way Back, a sports drama about a former high school basketball star and struggling alcoholic who starts to get his life back on track by coaching the team at his alma mater. Though technically, The Way Back is not based on a true story, the subject matter closely mirrored Affleck's real life at the time, as he had been in and out of rehab after relapsing from alcohol.

Related Ben Affleck's Most Overlooked Movie Of The Past 5 Years Is A Must Watch Now That It's On Amazon Prime Ben Affleck's most underrated movie so far this decade is a must-watch on Amazon Prime Video despite bombing at the box office for unforeseen reasons.

The Way Back was widely praised by critics and audiences alike, earning an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes in both categories. Reviews for The Way Back praised Affleck's performance as one of his best in years, including The Accountant. Critics highlighted how Affleck's personal experiences with alcoholism and his journey to recovery helped inform his approach to his character in The Way Back, which produced moving, heartwrenching results.

As Affleck and O'Connor's better and more recent collaboration, The Way Back is the benchmark for The Accountant 2 in terms of quality.

In contrast, critics were less impressed with The Accountant, which holds a 52% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Though it was more of a hit with audiences, its 76% audience score still doesn't measure up to The Way Back's mutual consensus of 84%. As Affleck and O'Connor's better and more recent collaboration, The Way Back is the benchmark for The Accountant 2 in terms of quality.

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Related The Way Back Ending Explained The Way Back features Ben Affleck in one of his most vulnerable roles as a former basketball phenom turned head coach on a long path to redemption.

The Accountant 2 Will Easily Beat The Way Back's Box Office, But Can It Match Its Quality?

The Way Back Did Poorly At The Box Office Despite Its Positive Reception

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Although it was well-received, The Way Back only made $15.5 million at the box office on a $23 million budget (via The Numbers) due to the catastrophic timing of its theatrical release. The Way Back hit theaters on March 6, 2020, less than two weeks before the worldwide shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a successful opening weekend raking in $8.5 million, The Way Back's second weekend only saw $2.4 million as the world retreated indoors.

The Accountant 2 is only poised to surpass The Way Back at the box office because of unforeseen circumstances; what's less predictable is whether it will be of the same caliber.

In comparison to The Accountant's $155 million, The Way Back's poor commercial performance set a much easier box office for The Accountant 2 to beat. However, The Accountant 2 is only poised to surpass The Way Back at the box office because of unforeseen circumstances; what's less predictable is whether it will be of the same caliber.

The Accountant 2 is showing encouraging signs already, including several original The Accountant characters returning for the sequel. Along with Affleck, J.K. Simmons' Ray King, Jon Bernthal's Brax, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Marybeth Medina are set to appear in The Accountant 2.

O'Connor, who is planning for a trilogy, also shared that Bernthal will have a bigger role in The Accountant sequel after it was revealed at the end of The Accountant that Brax was Christian's long-lost brother from the flashbacks. Now that the Wolff brothers are reunited, the sequel can focus more on Bernthal's character. The Accountant 2 will also see Affleck breaking his recent supporting character trend in movies by returning to a leading role, which could bode well too. Overall, The Accountant 2 sounds promising, but only time will tell if it can compare to The Way Back.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers