Guy Ritchie’s latest action thriller, In the Grey, opened in cinemas on May 15, 2026, and quickly disappointed at the box office. Within two weeks of its digital debut on June 2, the film vaulted to the number‑one spot on Apple TV+ download charts, signaling a strong shift toward home viewing for the title.

May 15 theatrical release draws weak box‑office returns

The film’s opening weekend failed to generate the revenue expected for a Ritchie‑directed blockbuster, prompting distributors to accelerate its move to digiital platforms. According to the source, the underperformance was evident enough that studios opted for a swift PVOD strategy rather than a prolonged theatrical run.

June 2 digital debut catapults In the Grey to Apple TV+ top spot

When In the Grey arrived on Apple TV+ on June 2, it instantly topped the service’s download rankings, outpacing titles like Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary and the Super Mario Galaxy movie. While exact streaming figures were not disclosed, the rapid climb suggests a sizable audience was waiting for the film’s digital availability, as the source notes.

Audience score of 83% contrasts with 47% critic rating

Review aggregators show a stark split: critics gave the film a 47% approval rating, whereas audience scores sit at a robust 83%.. This divergence likely fueled the swift shift to streaming, with the source indicating that higher viewer enthusiasm helped drive the film’s top‑ranking performance on Apple TV+.

PVOD trend reinforced by In the Grey’s streaming surge

The success of Ritchie’s film on a premium‑video‑on‑demand (PVOD) platform underscores a broader industry moveemnt where underperforming theatrical releases find second lives online. As the source points out, studios may increasingly favor shorter theatrical windows for action thrillers that do not immediately resonate with critics or audiences .

Will studios shorten windows for future action thrillers?

One open question is whether the industry will formally adopt abbreviated theatrical windows for similar genre films, leveraging the kind of rapid digital uptake seen with In the Grey. the source does not provide a definitive answer, leaving it unclear how quickly distributors will adjust release strategies based on this case.