Mark Wahlberg's Mafia crime drama By Any Means arrived on premium video on demand on October 20 after one of the star's weakest theatrical runs in years, and early digital charts suggest the film's second act may go better than its first.
Paramount released the film in more than 2,900 domestic theaters on September 4, 2026. By the end of the month it was playing in barely 150 locations, and it finished its run with roughly $17 million against a reported $29 million budget,
according to
ScreenRant's box office tracking, which put the final figure at $16.7 million and noted the film opened at No. 4 behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and Coyote vs. Acme.
What the film is about
By Any Means tells the true story of Gregory Scarpa, a Mafia gangster who became an FBI informant in the 1960s. Wahlberg plays Scarpa opposite Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the FBI agent who worked with him. The supporting cast includes Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, David Strathairn, and Josh Lucas, with Elegance Bratton directing. The film runs 107 minutes.
Critics were split. The film settled at a 44 percent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it 88 percent, a gap that often signals a movie that connects with viewers even when reviewers shrug.
Why the theatrical release collapsed
The weak opening continues a pattern for Wahlberg, whose films have grossed more than $3 billion domestically over his career but who has not carried a theatrical hit as a leading man since 2018's Instant Family, which made $67 million at the domestic box office. Since Daddy's Home 2, released nearly a decade ago, none of his star vehicles has crossed $100 million domestically except Uncharted and Transformers: The Last Knight, and those were ensemble franchises.
According to
Collider's analysis, the shift is structural rather than personal. Wahlberg has spent this decade headlining more than half a dozen streaming originals, and his theatrical releases have hit a commercial ceiling in the $20 million range. By Any Means fell short of even that.
The streaming rescue is already working
The digital debut tells a different story. MovieWeb reported that the film became one of the biggest streaming hits in the world within days of its October 20 PVOD release, a turnaround the outlet called a stark contrast to its theatrical performance.
According to FlixPatrol data cited by Collider, By Any Means debuted at No. 5 on Amazon's domestic chart and No. 2 on iTunes. Both leaderboards are currently topped by Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a reminder that superhero franchises still dominate the premium tiers even at home.
The film arrived on digital alongside The Weight, a Western drama starring Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke that has drawn critical acclaim.
What this says about how we watch movies now
There is a civic dimension to a story like this one, and it deserves attention. The theatrical window has become a luxury good. Mid-budget dramas for adults, the kind of film that once anchored a night out at a neighborhood cinema, are increasingly routed to streaming or rushed to PVOD after a token release. When a $29 million film can't survive three weeks in theaters but thrives on a rental chart, the problem isn't the audience. The audience showed up, just at home, on a platform owned by the same conglomerates that decided theaters weren't worth the effort.
That consolidation has real consequences for access. A movie about an FBI informant, a story about government power and the people who bargain with it, is exactly the kind of substantive adult drama that a healthy theatrical culture keeps in circulation. When distribution narrows to a handful of platforms, the range of stories that reach wide audiences narrows with it.
The 44-to-88 gap between critics and audiences also says something worth sitting with. Reviewers, trained on prestige crime dramas, found the film middling. Viewers found it satisfying. In a media environment where algorithmic recommendations and aggregated scores increasingly decide what gets made, the verdict of actual ticket-and-rental-paying audiences deserves at least equal weight.
What happens next
For Wahlberg, the PVOD run offers a path to profitability that the theatrical release foreclosed. For Paramount, a strong digital performance may validate the strategy of a modest theatrical launch followed by a fast premium window. And for moviegoers who still believe in the communal experience of a theater, the numbers are one more data point in a decade-long argument about what we lose when watching becomes a private transaction.
Frequently asked questions
When did By Any Means come out in theaters?
The film was released theatrically by Paramount on September 4, 2026, in more than 2,900 domestic theaters.
How much did By Any Means make at the box office?
The film grossed roughly $17 million domestically, around $16.7 million by ScreenRant's count, against a reported production budget of $29 million.
Where can you watch By Any Means now?
The film debuted on premium video on demand on October 20, 2026, and quickly reached the top five on Amazon's domestic chart and No. 2 on iTunes.
Who stars in By Any Means?
Mark Wahlberg leads as Mafia informant Gregory Scarpa, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, David Strathairn, and Josh Lucas in supporting roles.