Vertical’s Middle East Western Desert Warrior starring Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart and Ben Kingsley rides into 1,010 theaters this frame — the end of a long journey to screens for the $150 million project first announced in 2021.
Co-written and directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and shot over four years in Saudi Arabia, it premiered at the Zurich Film Festival. Deadline review here.
Defying a ruthless emperor (Kingsley), Princess Hind (Hart) flees into the Arabian desert, hunted by mercenaries led by Jalabzeen (Sharlto Copley). Forged into a warrior and aided by a legendary bandit (Mackie), she unites warring tribes for a last stand. Vertical touted the dramatic locations, 12,500 extras, and abundant horses and camels made available with substantial support from Neom, the massive Saudi development with sound stages and infrastructure created by the film’s backer MBC Studios.
Other wide releases
David MacKenzie’s London-set action thriller Fuze from Roadside Attractions, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James, debuts on 1,194 screens. Premiered at Toronto Film Festival; see Deadline review. Set in contemporary London, Fuze unfolds after an unexploded World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site, forcing a massive citywide evacuation. Amid the escalating tension and chaos, a daring criminal operation is set in motion using the chaos as cover for a meticulously planned heist. Written by Ben Hopkins.
Independent Film Company debuts SXSW Audience Award-winning dark comedy thriller Over Your Dead Body by Jorma Taccone and starring Samara Weaving and Jason Segel on 1,550 screens. See Deadline review. Unhappy couple Dan and Lisa retreat to a remote cabin for a romantic reset, each with a secret plan to kill the other. However, their carefully plotted traps and counterplots unravel when strangers (Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis and Keith Jardine) crash the weekend with plans of their own. As the toxic getaway spirals into carnage, the pair must decide if they want to save their marriage or survive it. Written by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney. The distributor has been doubling down on wide releases, counting three over the past six weeks with Forbidden Fruit and Faces of Death.
Sony Pictures Classics opens I Swear, the biopic of Scottish Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson, in moderate release at about 750 theaters. Written and directed by Kirk Jones, it stars Robert Aramayo as Davidson. Diagnosed with Tourette’s at 15, targeted as insane by his peers, he struggled with a condition few had witnessed. Campaigning for better understanding and acceptance of the condition as an adult, he finds his life’s purpose and accepts his MBE from the Queen in 2019. With Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson. Winner of three BAFTAs including Best Actor and Rising Star for Aramayo, and Best Casting.
New limited releases
Omaha from Greenwich Entertainment launches at IFC Center in New York. Directed by Cole Webley and written by Robert Machoian, it stars John Magaro in his first leading role, Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis. Machoian and cast will be on hand for opening-weekend Q&As. Premiered at Sundance 2025, see Deadline review. Festival circuit kudos includes the Jury Prize at Deauville, the Jordan Ressler First Feature Award in Miami, the Grand Jury Prize in Dallas and the Audience Award in Nashville.
After a family tragedy, siblings Ella and Charlie are unexpectedly woken up by their dad and taken on a road trip across the U.S., experiencing a world they’ve never seen before. As their adventure unfolds, Ella begins to understand that things might not be what they seem. Expanding in May.
Sho Miyake’s drama Two Seasons, Two Strangers from distributor Several Futures opens for a weeklong run at the Metrograph in New York. Premiered at Locarno, winning the Golden Leopard top prize. Miyake will be in person at Metrograph for all opening-weekend showings. The director’s ninth film is based on two stories by influential avant-garde cartoonist Yoshiharu Tsuge, who passed away last month. Miyake weaves the narratives into one drama of interconnected strangers seeking human connections: a screenwriter Li and innkeeper Ben-zō (Shim Eun-kyung and Shinichi Tsutsumi), and a beachside couple Nagisa and Natsuo (Yuumi Kawai and Mansaku Takada). Travels to a handful of cities through May.
A cappella documentary Just Sing opens in New York (Quad) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Noho) from Abramorama ahead of a limited expansion. Directed by Angelique Molina and Abraham Troen, from producer John Battsek, it follows top collegiate a cappella group the SoCal Vocals as they pursue a record-setting sixth ICCA title. Premiered at Tribeca Festival. Release is timed to the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella Finals in New York City on Saturday.
Australian family drama Kangaroo Island from Blue Harbor Entertainment debuts at the Angelika in NYC. Rebecca Breeds (Clarice) stars as a struggling Hollywood actress returning home to Australia who must confront the love triangle that tore her family apart. Set against the sweeping natural landscape of the eponymous island. Directed by Timothy David in his feature debut. Written by Sally Gifford. With Adelaide Clemens (Rectify), Erik Thomson (Packed to the Rafters), Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door) and Nicholas Hope (Bad Boy Bubby).
More to come