The dream of blockbuster glory can sometimes be a precarious journey, even with the backing of a major studio and A-list talent. With that said, it doesn’t help when outside noise stemming from the talents’ personal lives interfere with ticket sales. Take Briarcliff Entertainment’s Magazine Dreams, for instance. While its premise promised a unique look into the life of a bodybuilder with complex moral compasses (cue Jonathan Majors), its box office performance has been, well, less than muscular.
Released into 815 theaters on March 21, Magazine Dreams certainly made an entrance—but, unfortunately, not the type that will have moviegoers flocking to the nearest theater. On its opening day, it grossed $340,235, which translates to a modest average of $417 per theater. And while modesty may be a virtue, it’s not exactly the trait of a pre-summer blockbuster.
Saturday didn’t help matters much. The film saw a 36.5% dip, adding only $216,112 to its total, and by Sunday, the situation had sunk further, with a meager $145,018. Totaling up the entire weekend’s haul, Magazine Dreams barely lifted $701,365 at the box office. For comparison, this places it behind Disney’s Snow White (at No. 1), Warner Bros.,The Alto Knights (No. 6), and even Locked from Avenue Entertainment (No. 12). Even with a controversially ridden and unexciting lineup, Magazine Dreams ended the weekend in the 14th spot.
But wait, there’s more—although not much more. The weekdays saw the numbers squatting between $30,000 and $80,000, bringing the grand total to $928,934 by the end of the film’s first full week. So, no, it didn’t crack the million-dollar mark – something Majors is not used to, considering his last few films surpassed expectations during opening weekend (Creed III, $58.4M; Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,$106.1M)
Despite the tepid box office performance, there’s one thing that can’t be overlooked: Jonathan Majors. As the ambitious yet tortured bodybuilder Killian Maddox, Majors delivers a tour de force performance that proves he’s got more than just a chiseled physique. Fans of his work in Creed (or any film, really) can’t deny his ability to transform his body—and mind—into a character that’s both compelling and emotionally taxing.
If anything, Magazine Dreams succeeds in showcasing Majors’ raw intensity, even if the film itself is still working on finding its stride. Audiences seem to agree. The Elijah Bynum directed film carries a 7.0 rating on IMDb, a 66 Metacritic Metascore, 90% to 72% rating from verified audiences and top critics, respectively, on RT.
The bottom line? While Magazine Dreams may not have made the headlines for all the right reasons, Majors certainly gives us food for thought.
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