Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
WhatToWatch
WhatToWatch
Entertainment
Michael Balderston

Magazine Dreams: cast, reviews and everything we know about the Jonathan Majors movie

Jonathan Majors posing in silhouette in Magazine Dreams.

While much attention is being paid to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Creed III, Jonathan Majors' 2023 lineup of movies also includes the drama Magazine Dreams, giving the rising star a well-rounded slate of big budget and indie movies.

The movie made some headlines after premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, but for those not able to make it out to Park City or take part in the virtual aspect of the festival, here is what you need to know about Magazine Dreams ahead of it being made available to general audiences.

Magazine Dreams release date 

Having first screened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Magazine Dreams is finally slated to come out in movie theaters in 2025. However, we don't have an exact date yet, with reports just indicating that it will likely be released in the first quarter of 2025 (January-March).

Magazine Dreams plot

Written by Elijah Bynum, Magazine Dreams focuses on one man's dangerous pursuit to become a professional bodybuilder while struggling with his own mental issues and the culture of toxic masculinity that surrounds the sport. Here is the synopsis provided by the Sundance Film Festival:

"Killian Maddox lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbors a crush on a friendly cashier. Though Killian's struggles to read social cues and maintain control of his volatile temper amplify his sense of disconnection amid a hostile world, nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of bodybuilding superstardom, not even the doctors who warn that he's causing permanent damage to his body with his quest."

Magazine Dreams cast

Jonathan Majors is the star and main attraction of Magazine Dreams as Killian Maddox. Majors first came to some viewers attention with another Sundance movie, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, though his big breakouts came with a couple of TV shows. First, his Emmy-nominated performance in HBO's Lovecraft Country and then as He Who Remains in Loki, which laid the groundwork for his upcoming role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanutmania as Marvel supervillain Kang the Conqueror. He has also starred in Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall and Devotion, with Creed III also coming out in 2023.

Other members of the Magazine Dreams cast include Hayley Bennett (Cyrano, Till), Taylour Pagie (Zola, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), professional bodybuilder Mike O'Hearn, Harrison Page (original Quantum Leap, Better Things) and Harriet Sansom Harris (Hacks, Licorice Pizza).

Magazine Dreams trailer

There is no trailer right now for Magazine Dreams. When one becomes available we'll add it here. 

Magazine Dreams reviews

Many critics have weighed in after watching Magazine Dreams at the Sundance Film Festival, with almost universal praise for Jonathan Majors' performance, including in WTW's own Magazine Dreams review. Overall, the movie is receiving strong notice as well, as it has an 83% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes (as of January 26). 

Magazine Dreams director Elijah Bynum

Elijah Bynum, who both wrote and directed Magazine Dreams, is a relatively fresh name for movie fans. Magazine Dreams is just his second directing gig, with his lone credit prior being the 2017 movie Hot Summer Nights starring Timothée Chalamet and Maika Monroe. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.