The premiere was a smash. The awards buzz was building. The Jonathan Majors-led dark drama Magazine Dreams looked set for big things.
Elijah Bynum wrote and directed the feature in which Majors plays a troubled amateur bodybuilder named Killian Maddox who is willing to go to any lengths to be noticed. As things continue to go wrong, Maddox’s obsession with being the best pushes him to the absolute limit. while also gradually isolating himself from the rest of the world.
As he struggles to find human connection in this exploration of celebrity and violence, nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of superstardom. Not even the doctors who warn him of the permanent damage he causes to himself with his quest.
Majors famously ate over 6,000 daily calories and conducted endless workouts that got his bench press up to 340 pounds to play the socially awkward bodybuilder with anger management issues.
Sundance in 2023 delivered universal praise for his performance in the film, and people were comparing the movie to Taxi Driver. It all seemed to be going so well, alongside a scene-stealing turn as the villain in Creed 3 and a starring role as the new big bad in the MCU.
Then it all went tits up. Majors’ personal life, including a misdemeanor assault conviction, derailed his career and placed Magazine Dreams release plans on hold.
Now, after a delay of two years later, Magazine Dreams is finally getting a theatrical release on March 21st. Originally slated to be released theatrically on December 8, 2023, by Searchlight Pictures, Briarcliff Entertainment later acquired domestic distribution rights to it following the incidents with Majors.
Haley Bennett, Harrison Page, Taylour Paige, Michael O’Hearn, and Harriet Sansom Harris co-star.