King Ivory

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King Ivory
King-ivory.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Swab
Written byJohn Swab
Produced byJeremy M. Rosen
Starring
CinematographyWill Stone
Edited byAndrew Aaronson
Production
company
Roxwell Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 2, 2024 (2024-09-02)(Venice)
  • November 14, 2025 (2025-11-14)(United States)
Running time
129 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$151,797 [2]

King Ivory is a 2024 American action thriller film written and directed by John Swab. The film stars James Badge Dale, Ben Foster, Michael Mando, Graham Greene, and Melissa Leo.

Contents

The film premiered at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival in September 2, 2024, and was released on November 14, 2025. [3]

Cast

Production

The film was shot in the Tulsa area during the summer of 2023. [4] The production was made on a budget of under $7.5 million. [5] Swab described the film as 'by far the most personal movie' he made. [5]

Release

The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, in the "Orizzonti Extra" sidebar. [5] In March 2025, Saban Films and Roadside Attractions acquired North American distribution, while Universal Pictures handled other territories. [6] It was theatrically released on 752 screens in the United States on November 14, 2025. [7] [8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 67% of 18 critics' reviews are positive. [9] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [10]

The Hollywood Reporter's film critic Jordan Mintzer praised the film, describing it as "effective", "hard-nosed" and "above your average drug thriller", and noted "its uncompromisingly bleak view of fentanyl's damaging hold on the U.S. is not necessarily a crowd-pleaser, but it well deserves a look". [1] Rodrigo Perez from The Playlist paired it to Steven Soderbergh's Traffic , and described the film as 'intense and engaging' and 'a terrific surprise'. [11]

Screen International's Tim Grierson criticized the film, noting that while 'Swab creates a sense of constant propulsion [... ] and certainly the testosterone-fueled shootouts are muscular in their execution', 'the high-octane King Ivory is intense without being insightful' and it 'rarely surprises'. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 Mintzer, Jordan (September 3, 2024). "'King Ivory' Review: Drugs, Guns, Cops and Cartels Dominate an Effectively Gritty Fentanyl-Era Thriller Starring Ben Foster". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "King Ivory". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  3. ↑ Billington, Alex (October 7, 2025). "James Badge Dale in 'King Ivory' Tulsa Drug Cartel Thriller Full Trailer | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ Grobar, Matt (July 24, 2024). "WME Independent Launching Domestic Sales On John Swab's Fentanyl Crime Thriller 'King Ivory' Out Of Venice". Deadline . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Ritman, Alex (September 17, 2024). "'King Ivory' Filmmaking Duo on Their Deeply Personal Venice Hit and Producing Seven Films in Five Years: 'We Hate to Let the Grass Grow'". Variety . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ Ritman, Alex (March 27, 2025). "Opioid Action-Thriller 'King Ivory' Lands U.S. Theatrical Release With Saban and Roadside Attractions (Exclusive)". Variety . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  7. ↑ McDonnell, Brandy (November 14, 2025). "Tulsan John Swab's Oklahoma-made crime thriller King Ivory takes on the fentanyl crisis". The Oklahoman . Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (November 14, 2025). "Meet Troubled Teenage Jesus In 'The Carpenter's Son' Based On Obscure Gospel; Italian Indie 'Trifole' Savors Truffle Country – Specialty Preview". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "King Ivory". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ "King Ivory". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Perez, Rodrigo (September 3, 2024). "'King Ivory' Review: James Badge Dale Leads A Searing, 'Traffic'-Esque Drug Cartel Crime Thriller [Venice]". The Playlist. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ Grierson, Tim (September 2, 2024). "'King Ivory': Venice Review". Screen International . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
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