diff --git a/cpp/examples/tutorial_examples/file_access_example.cc b/cpp/examples/tutorial_examples/file_access_example.cc
index fdc312ff421c1..df57174b31166 100644
--- a/cpp/examples/tutorial_examples/file_access_example.cc
+++ b/cpp/examples/tutorial_examples/file_access_example.cc
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ arrow::Status RunMain() {
   // (Doc section: Parquet OpenFile)
   // Note that Parquet's OpenFile() takes the reader by reference, rather than returning
   // a reader.
-  PARQUET_THROW_NOT_OK(
-      parquet::arrow::OpenFile(infile, arrow::default_memory_pool(), &reader));
+  PARQUET_ASSIGN_OR_THROW(reader,
+                          parquet::arrow::OpenFile(infile, arrow::default_memory_pool()));
   // (Doc section: Parquet OpenFile)
 
   // (Doc section: Parquet Read)