Magazine Dreams arrived in theaters this weekend, but the bodybuilding drama starring Jonathan Majors came up short at the box office.
The film earned a projected $700,000 from 815 theaters, according to box office tracking company Comscore. That averaged out to a meager $859 per location.
The movie centers on an aspiring bodybuilder named Killian Maddox, who is battling the limits of his body and his inner demons.
Related: Jonathan Majors Commits to Becoming Champion Bodybuilder in ‘Magazine Dreams’ Trailer
The film received positive reviews from critics and has a strong 81 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus saying: “Jonathan Majors’ incredibly committed performance makes Magazine Dreams well worth a watch.”
The drama from writer-director Elijah Bynum was one of the favorites at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and won the dramatic special jury award for creative vision.
But original distributor, Disney’s Searchlight, shelved and later dropped the project amid Majors’ legal troubles.
The actor was arrested in March 2023 for assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. A New York City jury convicted him on misdemeanor counts in December 2023.
Nearly a year later, Briarcliff Entertainment picked up the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Kathia Woods, a film critic with The Philadelphia Tribune, said Majors delivers a powerhouse performance in Magazine Dreams.
“The film is a really good film and covers many uncomfortable topics,” Woods told Urban Hollywood 411 on Sunday.
In her review, Woods wrote: “Regardless of one’s opinions about Majors, it cannot be denied that the film offers a profound exploration of a character’s longing for acceptance and community. Furthermore, it sparks a dialogue about how individuals who feel disconnected from society often turn to celebrities to fill that void.”
So what went wrong at the box office?
Woods said it came down to marketing and the subject matter — which appealed to a limited audience.
“The movie is a hard watch because it deals with trauma and loneliness,” she explained.
In terms of marketing, Majors was everywhere.
He sat down with several Black content creators, talked to newspaper reporters, did a Q&A with the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, MovieWeb, appeared on “The Breakfast Club,” Stephen A. Smith’s podcast, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, and Sherri.
[most of the interviews can be found on YouTube].
Still, the barrage of interviews didn’t help the movie’s bottom line.
I should also note, I didn’t see any TV ads or billboards here in Los Angeles.
Another problem may have been a lot of the headlines over the past week focused on Rolling Stone’s “newly unearthed” audio recording between Majors and Jabbari from three years ago as the two discussed Majors allegedly physically assaulting his ex.
The magazine published the recording on March 17, just before the film’s March 21 release. The outlet said the audio was recorded “in the aftermath of a days-long fight” in 2022.
On social media, Majors’ fans accused the outlet of trying to derail the actor’s comeback.
Among the comments on X (formerly Twitter): “So Rolling Stone had this information this whole time and waits now to post it when Jonathan Majors has another film dropping? Rolling Stone is petty to the highest degree. They’re just trying to spite Majors at this point.”
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