When Controversy Kills a Movie, His Studio Buys It

He released a movie about Trump over his objections, and the star of his latest movie was convicted of assault.

- John Jurgensen

The indie film fantasy was coming true for "Magazine Dreams" in early 2023. At Sundance, critics hailed the film and its star Jonathan Majors, playing a bodybuilder whose life falls apart. The Yale-trained actor also had a big Marvel role on deck and was poised for Hollywood stardom. In a scrum of potential buyers, "Magazine Dreams" went to a boutique studio with dozens of Oscars to its name. Searchlight Pictures set a theatrical release for year's end, the onset of awards season.

The day after the release date's announcement, Majors was arrested in New York following a fight with his girlfriend. When a jury later convicted Majors of assaulting and harassing her, Marvel fired the actor, and Searchlight, also owned by Disney, dropped "Magazine Dreams." The movie—years in the works by a promising filmmaker and more than 100 other people—vanished into limbo.

That's where Tom Ortenberg saw opportunity. He's a Hollywood veteran who specializes in movies with a scarlet letter on them. With nobody having offered much more than a quiet straight-to-video release for "Magazine Dreams," its producers say, Ortenberg is now putting the film in 815 theaters. It opens this weekend, almost two years to the day after Majors's arrest. Ortenberg is betting the time is right, that audiences are keen on the movie and that shifting cultural winds favor a comeback for a canceled actor.

"He's paid his dues, the process was served," Ortenberg says. The executive lunched with Majors several times, consulted him on the film's rollout, and has him out promoting it. "Here's a brilliant movie with a brilliant actor. We see no reason to hesitate."