The film chronicles the life of revolutionary female wrestler Mildred Burke.
In an era when women were barred from the ring, Mildred Burke shattered every rule in the book. A single mother with unstoppable grit, she fought her way from underground matches to the pinnacle of professional wrestling, becoming the sport's first million-dollar female athlete. Defying skeptics, opponents, and a system determined to shut her out, Burke carved her legacy as the longest-reigning champion in history—proving that the fiercest battles are not just fought in the ring, but against the world itself.
Wrestler Mildred Burke, whose life the film is based on.
The film is written and directed by Ash Avildsen, inspired by the 2010 book The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend by Jeff Leen, and Burke's own manuscripts.[2]Jim Ross is executive producer on the film. Aimee Schoof and Isen Robbins of Intrinsic Value Films and TV and B.D. Gunnell are the producers on the film.[3]
Queen of the Ring premiered at the Buffalo International Film Festival on October 15, 2024.[12] It was released in theaters in the United States on March 7, 2025, by Sumerian Pictures.[13]
Soundtrack
Sumerian Records released the soundtrack album for the film featuring ten songs from the movie. It includes songs produced by the films composer, Aaron Gilhuis.
Queen of the Ring (Music from the Motion Picture) track listing
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 74% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "Emily Bett Rickards is terrific in this straightforward sports biopic, which puts on a good show even if it only glancingly grapples with the surface details of its true story."[14]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
Nick Bythrow of Screen Rant gave the film a positive score, stating, "Queen of the Ring uses the story of Mildred Burke to expertly explore women's pro wrestling in a time when they weren't allowed in the sport."[16]
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter also provided a positive review, writing, "Despite its low budget, the film looks terrific, effectively conveying its vintage settings thanks to Andrew Strahorn's handsome, sepia-tinged cinematography and Sofija Mesicek's period-perfect costumes." He praised the strong performances of the cast, in particular lead Emily Bett Rickards, whose performance he credited as giving the film its heart and soul".[17]
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