Roofman had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025 and was theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on October 10, 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $34 million worldwide.
Plot
In 1998, Jeffrey Manchester is a divorced U.S. Army veteran living in North Carolina. Struggling to provide for his three young children, Jeffrey is reminded by Steve, his friend and fellow member of the 82nd Airborne Division, of his powerful skills of observation. Jeffrey uses his knack for noticing and exploiting routines to rob a McDonald's fast food restaurant, breaking in through the roof at night. Surprising the morning shift, Jeffrey orders the employees into the walk-in freezer but treats them kindly, even handing over his own coat to the manager to wear before escaping with the contents of the safe.
Over the next two years, Jeffrey uses the same strategy over 40 times, capturing the attention of the authorities and the media as the mysterious "Roofman". Arrested at his daughter's birthday party after attempting to flee, he is sentenced to 45 years in prison while his ex-wife Talana ends his contact with their children.
Using his ingenuity, he escapes prison. He conceals himself inside a Toys R Us store, subsisting on a lot of candy and observing the employees.
As a fugitive, he has limited options for living arrangements, but he begins a relationship with one of the unsuspecting employees, Leigh. Stealing toys to donate to the toy drive Leigh has organized at her church, Jeffrey claims to be John, a visiting New Yorker. Missing his own children, Jeffrey makes an effort to bond with Leigh's daughters.
Desperate to forge a new life and identity, Jeffrey pays for a fake passport by robbing the store where he hides and where Leigh works. She recognizes him (but doesn't say anything) even though he planned to conduct the robbery while she was not there. Eventually he is caught, and an additional 32 years is added to his prison sentence.
During the credits, photographs of the real Jeffrey Manchester are shown, along with footage from local news reports in 2004 related to the case, and interviews with the real Leigh as well as others who interacted with Manchester.
Several people involved in the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester have cameos in the film. Charles Cummings, who drove the truck used by Manchester to escape from prison, appears as the same truck driver; Katherine Scheimreif, Manchester's arresting officer, appears as a retired police officer at a church singles event; Leigh Moore, née Wainscott, appears as a crossing guard; Ron Smith, Wainscott's pastor, appears as a pawn shop employee; and Chris Kimbell, a SWAT officer, appears as one of the police officers who discover Manchester's hiding place.[7]
Roofman had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025.[20][21] It was released in the United States on October 10, 2025,[22] moved from its original release date of October 3, 2025.[23]
Reception
Box office
As of November20,2025[update], Roofman has grossed $23 million in the United States and Canada and $11 million in other territories, for a total of $34 million worldwide.[5][6]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 212 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "A disarmingly sweet tonal gearshift for director Derek Cianfrance, Roofman is shaggy as a narrative but expertly tailored to Channing Tatum's strengths as an eminently likable leading man."[24]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[26]
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