It was acclaimed upon its release at SXSW earlier this year, but it didn’t get a distribution deal. Now, however, Matthew McConaughey‘s new crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King is looking to come to a theater near you. Black Bear is working on a deal to screen the film in American theaters, according to reports. The film has not yet secured a release date, despite critical praise: the film currently holds a 97% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Some of this may be attributed to the turbulent nature of the current film business, which has already seen one major studio acquisition in the form of the Paramount-Skydance deal, and may see another, as distributor Lionsgate seems to be destined for acquisition. In his review of the film, Collider’s Nate Richard lavished praise on The Rivals of Amziah King, saying it featured McConaughey’s “best performance in over a decade,” and called Amziah King “one of the most memorable characters McConaughey has ever played.” Collider’s Perri Nemiroff spoke with the film’s cast and crew at SXSW; it was originally written as a miniseries, but was then adapted into a film that is described as half-musical, half-Western.

What Is ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ About?

McConaughey stars as the titular Amziah King, a beekeeper and blues musician living in rural Oklahoma. He’s living a quiet life there until his estranged foster daughter Kateri (newcomer Angelina LookingGlass) comes back into his life. She quickly integrates herself into his life, helping out with his beekeeping and his band, until someone steals his hives, threatening his business with extermination. Is the culprit King’s local enemy, a powerful businessman (Kurt Russell)? Or is something more sinister at play? The film also stars Cole Sprouse (Riverdale), Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), Scott Shepherd (Killers of the Flower Moon), Rob Morgan (Stranger Things), Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Catherine Dyer (Reptile).

The Rivals of Amziah King is the sophomore feature from writer/director Andrew Patterson. His debut film, the science fiction mystery The Vast of Night, also earned rave reviews and the attention of major studios, but Patterson wished to remain in the indie film space.

The Rivals of Amziah King has been picked up for distribution in the US, but has not yet set a release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

The Rivals of Amziah King

Release Date

March 10, 2025

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

Andrew Patterson

Writers

Andrew Patterson

Producers

David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Will Greenfield, Michael Heimler