Matthew McConaughey’s Critically Acclaimed Crime-Drama Sets Highly Anticipated Release Date

Alright, McConaughey fans, pencil in a date a couple years from now—'The Rivals of Amziah King' officially has a U.S. release window. Seriously, a window: this thing is getting a limited theatrical run on August 14, 2026 (yeah, two years off), and then goes wide the following week on August 21. If you were hoping for a surprise drop this fall, sorry. Black Bear, the studio behind it, just sketched out its 2026 slate a bit early. Apparently it pays to plan ahead.

What'S The Big Deal With This Movie?

First off, 'The Rivals of Amziah King' already made critics swoon when it premiered at SXSW—so much that it scored a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah, I know, that's just critics, but still—that's impressive for an indie crime flick. The SXSW crowd apparently gave it a full standing ovation, which isn't exactly standard issue at festivals.

The Plot: Bluegrass, Honey, And Trouble

This is one of those crime dramas with a twist. Instead of your typical mobsters or grizzled detectives, it centers around Amziah King (played by McConaughey), who's part bluegrass musician and part honey entrepreneur. He's living in rural Oklahoma, minding his bees, and not looking for much trouble—until his estranged foster daughter shows up. Suddenly, his hard-earned local honey empire draws the kind of attention you'd expect in a gangster thriller, but with more pollen. Rivals enter the scene, and things get dicey—what starts with fiddles and jars of honey turns into an escalating fight over loyalty, power, and survival.

'The film's about as quiet and down-to-earth as you can get—up until it's not. When things start to unravel, it gets really tense, really fast.'

Who'S In This?

If you're here for the cast, there's more than just McConaughey in this hive:

• Matthew McConaughey (Amziah King, honey tycoon/bluegrass guy)
• Angelina LookingGlass
• Kurt Russell
• Scott Shepherd
• Cole Sprouse
• Tony Revolori
• Rob Morgan

It makes for a fun, weird little Oklahoma crime family tree, with friends, rivals, and assorted oddballs all orbiting Amziah's sticky business.

Who Directed This?

This comes from Andrew Patterson, who most people will know from 'The Vast of Night,' that small-town sci-fi thriller that got a lot of streaming buzz a few years back. Expect a mix of grounded, Americana weirdness and suspense—that's pretty much his brand at this point.

How Does This Slot Into Black Bear's Plans?

Black Bear's starting to make more noise as a studio. The same announcement gave us the rest of their 2026 U.S. release dates—which, by the way, they just rolled out January 14. They're aiming to put out up to a dozen titles in theaters every year, so expect more films that split the difference between artsy and mainstream.

For context, their upcoming list is looking like this:

• 'Wife & Dog' (Guy Ritchie, opens October 23, wide release)
• 'Spa Weekend' (comedy, lands September 4)
• 'Tuner' (Daniel Roher's first narrative feature, before the end of the year)
• And don’t forget 'Shelter' (action movie with Jason Statham), which is out January 30

Bottom Line

If you want to see McConaughey get back to Southern crime drama, and maybe taste-test some metaphorical (and literal) honey, you’ll want this one on your radar. It’s got a festival pedigree, a killer cast, and one of those 'wait, is this really the story?' plotlines that could either really work or totally melt down. We'll find out in 2026—mark your calendars, folks, even if it feels a little far off.