‘Magazine Dreams’ Lives: Jonathan Majors Film Lands 2025 Theatrical Release

Briarcliff Entertainment will release Elijah Bynum's movie after it was dropped by Searchlight following Majors' conviction for assault.

“Magazine Dreams” is back in circulation: The Jonathan Majors movie has been picked up by Briarcliff Entertainment for a first-quarter 2025 U.S. theatrical release. Original distributor Searchlight Pictures dropped the indie film after Majors was convicted of assault.

The Elijah Bynum film first premiered at Sundance in 2023, where it was acquired by Searchlight. “Magazine Dreams was given a primo awards-season release, with Majors in particular being considered a Best Actor contender.

But following the December 2023 conviction of Majors on a charge of assault and harassment, Searchlight sent the film back to the open market, where it stayed in limbo for nearly a year.

Briarcliff is the same distributor giving the unauthorized Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” a theatrical run. “The Apprentice” is another movie that struggled to find distribution, though that was due to financier Dan Snyder’s disdain for the tone of the finished product. Snyder is the very unpopular former owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

“Magazine Dreams” stars Majors as Killian Maddox, an amateur bodybuilder with dreams of stardom in the form of magazine covers. His relentless drive pushes him to the brink of sanity. The film also stars Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, and Mike O’Hearn, the four-time Mr. Universe. The film was both written and directed by Bynum.

IndieWire’s review called “Magazine Dreams” a “nerve-shredding character study” and compared it to Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” in terms of the twisted and violent lengths Majors’ character goes to.

The film was also the subject of a minor controversy at Cannes, when jury members including Marlee Matlin walked out of the screening because of a technical snafu that resulted in the film’s closed-captioning malfunctioning.

“Magazine Dreams is a visceral experience that challenges the perceptions of ambition and identity,” Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg said in a statement. “Elijah’s film made a well-deserved splash in Sundance and Briarcliff is looking forward to taking his story to the big screen across the country in early 2025.”

He continued: “Jonathan Majors’ transcendent performance as Killian Maddox will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most compelling and transformative roles in recent cinema history. We are honored to bring this extraordinary work to theaters nationwide, inviting audiences to witness a story that will resonate long after the credits roll.”

“Magazine Dreams” is produced by Jennifer Fox, Dan Gilroy, Jeffrey Soros, and Simon Horsman. Executive producers include Majors for his Tall Street Productions, and Luke Rodgers and Andrew Blau for Los Angeles Media Fund.

“We are thrilled to be working with Tom again after a terrific collaboration on ‘Nightcrawler’,” Fox said.

“Tom has made a career of championing compelling, boundary-pushing films and filmmakers that stand the test of time, so we couldn’t have stronger partners to release ‘Magazine Dreams’ than him and the great team at Briarcliff,” Soros said.

The deal was negotiated by CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers, and by Tom Ortenberg, Jessica Rose, and Danielle Goodman Strong on behalf of Briarcliff Entertainment.