basketball team at his alma mater. On September 26, 2018, it was reported that comedian Al Madrigal had joined the cast of the film, now known as Torrance, to play Dan, a well mannered high school mathematics teacher and the school's assistant coach who believes in Affleck's character after the head coach quits. Producers would be Jennifer Todd, Gordon Gray, Ravi Mehta, and O'Connor. In October 2018, Janina Gavankar joined the cast of the film. In November 2018, Brandon Wilson and Rachael Carpani joined the cast of the film. In July 2019, it was announced the title of the film was The Way Back. In August 2019, it was announced Rob Simonsen would score the film. Affleck spoke on how the film acted as a form of therapy for him following his own stints with alcoholism and rehab. Filming Principal photography began in October 2018 around the San Pedro and Long Beach neighborhood of Los Angeles. Much of the interior shots were filmed in the Chaffey High School gym in Ontario, California. Release The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 18, 2019. However, in March 2019, it was pushed back several months to March 6, 2020. On March 19, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film would be available digitally in the United States and Canada through Premium VOD on March 24 due to movie theaters closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This was just two weeks after the film's theatrical debut and before the end of the usual 90-day theatrical run. Another film distributed by the studio, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, was also released earlier than expected for the same reason. The film was released on Blu-ray, and DVD on May 19, 2020. Reception Box office The Way Back grossed $13.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $15.5 million, against a production budget of $21–25 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Onward and the wide expansion of Emma, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 2,718 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $2.6 million on its first day. The film went on to debut to $8.5 million, finishing third at the box office. The film fell 70% in its second weekend to $2.4 million, finishing seventh, largely caused