‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ Struggles to Make a Mark at the Box Office

Despite a promising start at SXSW in 2025, Andrew Patterson’s film, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” has stumbled in its box office debut. Featuring Matthew McConaughey as a singing beekeeper, the film was initially anticipated as a potential awards contender and a crowd favorite.

Released domestically this past weekend in 632 theaters, the film earned just over $1 million, failing to secure a spot in the Top 10 of the box office. With a per-screen average of $1,625, it lagged behind other limited releases, including the concert film “Katseye: Wild Hearts” and the Bollywood offering “Vishwanath & Sons,” which had even fewer screens.

Black Bear, the film’s producer and financier, had high hopes for “Amziah King,” especially considering the buzz from its festival premiere. However, its unique blend of bluegrass music and crime drama seems to have posed challenges in attracting a wider audience, particularly internationally. This film marks one of the first releases for Black Bear's new distribution arm, which has already seen mixed results with earlier films like the Sydney Sweeney boxing biopic “Christy,” which flopped, and the more successful “Tuner,” which achieved great word-of-mouth success.

As “Amziah King” moves forward, it faces the prospect of remaining in a similar theater count as “Tuner,” likely not exceeding 500. While it benefits from a decent Rotten Tomatoes score, critical reception has been lukewarm. The film's unusual premise may limit its comparability to other films, presenting a unique challenge for its marketing.

Ultimately, while “The Rivals of Amziah King” is not a failure, its journey to finding an audience may take longer than anticipated. It remains to be seen if critics and potential awards buzz can help elevate its profile in a competitive theatrical landscape.

Source: www.indiewire.com