Andrew Patterson’s “Rivals of the Amziah King” premiered at SXSW in March 2025 to rave reviews, scoring 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Normally, that would spark a bidding war—or at least generate some traction in the indie market. Ten months later? Nothing.
The team at Black Bear, which financed the film and recently launched its own U.S. distribution arm, decided to release it themselves. The reason: “no immediate buyers” and the “wonky economics of the acquisition business nowadays.”
Translation: SXSW hype alone isn’t enough to get streamers or indie distributors to write a big check anymore.
Black Bear has now set an August 14, 2026 release for “The Rivals of Amziah King.” Matthew McConaughey stars as a mandolin-playing beekeeper from Oklahoma who embraces the chance to reconnect and build a family enterprise when his long-lost foster daughter unexpectedly returns.
The film, shot in 2023, also stars Kurt Russell, Owen Teague, Cole Sprouse, and newcomer Angelina LookingGlass. Three years after production wrapped, audiences will finally be able to see what all the SXSW buzz was about.
Patterson first made a name for himself with “The Vast of Night” (2019), a micro-budget sci-fi that Amazon picked up and turned into a festival darling. Reports suggest the total production cost was just under $500,000. Amziah King is his sophomore feature.
“Coyote vs. Acme,” came very close to never getting released, yet, it almost doubled the weekend box office of Ridley Scott’s much-pricier “The Dog Stars.”