The Long Walk, a dystopian thriller based on Stephen King's 1979 novel, has taken the top spot on HBO Max's streaming charts just 24 hours after its release. The film, directed by Francis Lawrence, has a long and troubled development history, with several filmmakers attached to the project over the years, including George Romero and Frank Darabont.
According to King, he was heavily involved in the adaptation process and requested that the filmmakers up the violence, saying 'if you're not going to show it, don't bother'. The result is a 'pretty brutal' movie that stays true to the teeth of the original book.
The Long Walk stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Mark Hamill and follows a televised competitive walking contest in which failure results in the death of the contestants. The film has received praise from critics, with The Independent's Xan Brooks calling it the 'B-movie of the year'.
During its theatrical release, the film made $63 million on a budget of $20 million.