Briarcliff Entertainment
Jonathan Majors’ comeback film following his firing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t the success he expected. After his domestic violence accusations, Disney dropped him, and his projects were shelved.
Immediately after his legal issues, which included being found guilty on charges of assault and harassment, his film Magazine Dreams was put on hold. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and generated award buzz, but his career was derailed following the accusations. Magazine Dreams officially premiered earlier this year, and after a disappointing theatrical run, it has found a new life on streaming, debuting in the digital on demand charts on Google, FlixPatrol reveals.
Magazine Dreams is currently in the Top 25 charts in 23rd place, just ahead of the animated comedy Dogman and the 2009 animated film Coraline. Elijah Bynum wrote and directed the film, which also stars Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Harrison Page, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Mike O’Hearn.
The sports drama Magazine Dreams follows Majors’ Killian Maddox, an aspiring bodybuilder who dreams of becoming famous and gracing the cover of fitness magazines. However, his real life is lonely, and his «relentless drive for perfection only pushes him deeper towards self-destruction, but beneath his tenacious pursuit of superstardom lies a desperate, aching need for human connection.»
Magazine Dreams Had Positive Reviews But Flopped at the Box Office
Briarcliff Entertainment
Magazine Dreams was originally slated to premiere on Dec. 8, 2023, after its debut at Sundance. However, Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures dropped the project amid Majors’ legal drama, so the film was shelved. However, Briarcliff picked it up one year later after the success of the Donald Trump controversial biopic The Apprentice. After picking up the film, Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg publicly defended Majors, claiming «people are rooting» for the actor and highlighting that he had the industry and fans’ support.
Despite Majors’ controversies, Magazine Dreams debuted with encouraging reviews. The film features a positive 79% approval from the critics out of over 150 reviews, as well as a Certified Fresh badge. Audiences were even more generous, giving the sports drama an 89% approval score out of over 250 reviews, with the Verified Hot badge. Both camps praised Majors’ performance.
Despite its positive scores from critics and the audience, Jonathan Majors’ comeback film flopped in theaters. The film grossed only $1.1 million worldwide, with only $7,3k from international markets. It also had a disastrous opening weekend with only $701k.
Jonathan Majors’ legal drama led to him losing several roles. The biggest disappointment was losing the role of Kang in the MCU, which was set up to become the new big supervillain of the new phase. Majors had constantly claimed he was innocent, even though an unearthed audio seemingly had the actor confirm he had assaulted his then-girlfriend.
Following his firing, the MCU has since reshifted the narrative and brought back Robert Downey Jr. as a new supervillain: Doctor Doom. The character has been hinted at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and will make his full debut in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. Earlier this year, Majors shared his hopes to return to the MCU, but so far, there has been no confirmation yet.
Magazine Dreams is available to rent or purchase on digital platforms.
