Killian Maddox is a young grocery store worker obsessed with bodybuilding. His dream to be the best in bodybuilding creates negative behavior. Killian has emotional outbreaks and he can't express his true emotions. As he prepares for a show, he attempts to ask out his love interest at the grocery store where he works. In fact, he asks her out while he's shopping, only to walk out awkwardly. He is also obsessed with fitness champion Brad who does not reply to Killian's written letters. In his written letters, Killian talks about his goal and admiration for Brad. Killian also includes his phone number, hoping Brad would call.
Eventually, Brad calls when he has a local show where Killian meets him on a photoshoot. Killian also takes out his love interest where he makes a fool of himself. His date leaves him at the restaurant. He's distraught as he focuses on his next fitness show. He also assaults the local painting store because the owner would not repaint his grandfather's house. He eventually drives to the local paint shop and destroys it. The local painter owner's nephew and friends assault him.
He's badly beaten prior to his next show. After his beating, he drives to the show where eyewitness ask if he's OK. He steps on stage, only to pass out. He wakes up in a bathtub, icing his body. His therapist/parole officer consults him in what he will do. He's clueless as he does not express his true feelings. His true feelings are dark and violent. He fantasizes about killing Brad. His desire to kill him is based upon Brad's indifferent attitude.
Killian drives home from Brad's show as he goes home. He throws out his steroids, bodybuilding pictures, and starts flexing in his garage.
Cast
Jonathan Majors as Killian Maddox, an aspiring bodybuilder who struggles to find human connection
Haley Bennett as Jessie, a grocery store worker and Killian's love-interest
To prepare for his role, Majors ate 6,100 calories a day for four months and trained for six hours every day to obtain and maintain the extreme muscular physique of his role.[5]
Release
Magazine Dreams had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2023.[6] For the premiere, the production team declined to provide an open captioned print of the film, and the alternate seat-side captioning device provided to juror Marlee Matlin malfunctioned, thus the jurors collectively walked out of the initial screening in support of Matlin's inability to watch it. According to a statement from Sundance, the device was repaired and the jurors were able to screen the film later, as a group.[7] The following month, Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film, beating out bidders including Neon, Sony Pictures Classics and HBO.[8]
The film was originally scheduled to be released theatrically on December 8, 2023,[9] but in October 2023, Searchlight's parent, Walt Disney Studios, removed the film from its release schedule in response to both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and assault allegations against Majors.[10][11] Following Majors' conviction for assault and harassment in December of that year, The Hollywood Reporter said it was "unlikely" that Searchlight would still release the film, either theatrically or direct-to-streaming.[12]
In January 2024, it was reported that Searchlight had quietly returned the film rights to the filmmakers, so they could shop it to other distributors.[13] In October 2024, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired domestic distribution rights to the film.[14] The film was released in the United States on March 21, 2025.[15]
Reception
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $701,365 at the box office.[16] This was considered to be a disappointment, as the film's distributor had hoped that it would gross at least $1 million during its opening weekend.[17]
As of March 30, 2025, Magazine Dreams has grossed $1,076,099.[2]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 142 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Its dramatic form may get a little wobbly during certain reps, but Jonathan Majors' incredibly committed performance makes Magazine Dreams well worth a watch."[18]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]
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