Motor City has now secured a theatrical release date for 2026. Starring Alan Ritchson and featuring essentially no dialogue, the film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year.
RLJE Films, a distribution vertical within the IFC Entertainment Group, now announces that it has secured the U.S. distribution rights for Motor City, with the film to get a full theatrical release next year. Director Potsy Ponciroli (Old Henry) shared the following statement about the acquisition:
“We shot Motor City to be immersive, every frame, every sound, designed for a theater. It’s a love letter to Detroit, to 70s cinema, and to the kind of filmmaking you can feel. It’s the kind of movie that makes you happy that theaters still exist.“
Chief Acquisitions Officer of RLJE Films Mark Ward also celebrated the move, praising the film and its theatrical potential:
“Motor City hits like a freight train – raw, stylish, and completely unforgettable. Led by an extraordinary cast, Potsy Ponciroli has crafted an electric cinematic journey that demands to be seen on the big screen.”
Deadline shared additional details about the acquisition, reporting that the deal fell in the $3–4 million range. Motor City is said to have a budget around $30 million.
Written by Chad St. John, Motor City stars Ritchson as John Miller, a working-class romantic who falls for a gangster’s girlfriend in ’70s Detroit. After Miller is framed and sent to prison, he emerges years later and sets out on a violent quest for revenge. In addition to the Reacher star, the film also features Ben Foster, Shailene Woodley, and Pablo Schreiber.
Motor City, which features a propulsive score by Jack White, played at both Venice and TIFF, earning a generally positive reception from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, Ritchson’s film debuted to a 77% critics’ score, but it now sits at 71% from 21 reviews. A Popcornmeter score for the movie won’t take shape until next year, when general audiences get a chance to see it in theaters.
At a $30 million budget, Motor City‘s break-even range in theaters could be around $75 million. Though Ritchson is now widely recognizable for his role in Prime Video’s Reacher, he is relatively untested as an actor who can open a movie, meaning the upcoming crime thriller will be an interesting test in this regard.
It’s unclear exactly when next year Motor City will be making its way into theaters, but Ritchson is set to make a splash on the small screen again in 2026 with the release of Reacher season 4. Ritchson will also appear in the upcoming Neagley spinoff series, which is also expected to arrive next year.
For Ritchson, Motor City marks one of several upcoming feature films. The actor is next set to appear in Playdate opposite Kevin James, which releases November 12, with other projects like War Machine, The Man with the Bag, and Runner, all likely to arrive next year. In addition to remaining a fixture of the streaming space, Ritchson could be about to achieve movie star status.
- Release Date
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August 30, 2025
- Runtime
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103 Minutes
- Director
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Potsy Ponciroli
- Writers
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Chad St. John
- Producers
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Greg Silverman, Jon Berg, Chad St. John, Cliff Roberts