Alan Ritchson’s New Movies Fail at Box Office Amid Political Criticism
Actor Alan Ritchson’s films ‘Runner’ and ‘Motor City’ underperformed at the box office despite positive reviews.
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Actor Alan Ritchson, known for his role as Jack Reacher, is facing another box-office disappointment with his latest film, ‘Runner,’ which is heading to streaming after a short theatrical run. The action film, co-starring Owen Wilson, opened in over 2,500 theaters on Sept. 11 but dropped to 340 theaters after three weeks, ranking 24th in ticket sales last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
Positive Reviews Don’t Translate to Box Office Success
Despite the poor turnout, audiences gave the Angel Studios-distributed film a 90 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has taken in $17.7 million on a reported budget of between $35 million and $45 million.
Similarly, Ritchson’s gangster movie ‘Motor City,’ in which he played the lead, also failed in theaters, earning just over $3 million in sales with a budget of $30 million, according to Collider.
Political Comments Spark Controversy
Ritchson has been vocal in his criticism of former President Donald Trump, making headlines for his strong language and repeated expletive-laced remarks. In July, he suggested that Trump was implicated in the Epstein files, stating, ‘Trump has the keys to the nuclear codes … Like, dude, what? Go to jail.’
In another July podcast, he expressed frustration over the political climate, saying, ‘I’m just supposed to let go of my resentment that this [expletive] guy is just raping the world that he lives in for whatever gain he personally can have? And I’m supposed to let that go.’
Ritchson also commented on the White House ballroom plans, stating, ‘The White House is in ruins,’ and mentioned the UFC fight cage on the South Lawn and the ongoing ballroom construction.
Industry Response to Political Commentary
At the Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Ritchson mentioned receiving calls from studios asking him to avoid discussing politics. ‘Sony told me not to. And I’m not going to say anything, not today,’ he said, though he still referenced Epstein.
Despite the box office underperformance, Ritchson has had some success in other areas. He began the year with the sci-fi action film ‘War Machine,’ which remains the most-watched Netflix original of 2026. Meanwhile, ‘Reacher’ has been renewed for fifth and sixth seasons following a record-breaking Season 4 run, which resulted in more than 1 billion weekly minutes watched, according to Nielsen.
Both ‘Motor City’ and ‘Runner’ will generate additional revenue through video-on-demand sales, but whether it will be enough to make them profitable remains uncertain.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
