Magazine Dreams was dropped by its original distributor following Jonathan Majorsā criminal conviction ā but itās now arriving in 2025.
All the way back in January we reported the rather sad fate of Magazine Dreams, an acclaimed bodybuilding drama that was being lauded as a potential awards magnet before Searchlight, the filmās distributor promptly dropped it.
Why? Because the filmās lead, Jonathan Majors, was accused of some rather despicable crimes and then found guilty of them. Majors also found himself losing some very plum roles (including that of Kang, the central villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). In the wake of Majorsā conviction, Magazine Dreams ā which was already completed and picking up plenty of acclaim on the festival circuit ā was first quietly shelved and then dropped by Searchlight.
Some speculated that the film would be picked up by another distributor, others were skeptical. The film is said to contain themes of āpersonal violenceā which could make for uncomfortable viewing given Majorsā real-life actions. Of course, another dimension to this is the hard work and artistry of writer-director Elijah Bynum and other creatives who worked tirelessly on a film. Theyād come up with something that was earning acclaim, yet through no fault of their own have seen it pretty much disappear.
According to The Hollywood Reporter however, Magazine Dreams will be getting some kind of theatrical release after all. The outlet states that Briarcliff has picked the film up for distribution and will give it a theatrical release (in the US at least) in the first quarter of 2025.
This isnāt Briarcliffās first controversial release; in fact it even has a rather contentious film coming to cinemas later this month in the form of The Apprentice, a biopic that offers a rather unflattering take of the current US presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
As for Majors, he has no studio projects lined up in the wake of his conviction. Lionsgate dropped his Dennis Rodman project 48 Hours In Vegas before production began and Marvel Studios changed its entire slate to effectively wipe his character from the MCUās future. Weāll have to see how Briarcliff plans to distribute and market the film, a tricky proposition also, when it releases in the first part of next year.