Theater Numbers Tell a Fast Story
Alan Ritchson’s action film Runner is heading to streaming after a brief theatrical run, and the numbers explain why the studio is not waiting around for a miracle. The movie, which co-stars Owen Wilson and was distributed by Angel Studios, opened in more than 2,500 theaters on Sept. 11. Three weeks later, it was down to 340 theaters and ranked 24th in ticket sales last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. It has taken in $17.7 million against a reported budget of $35 million to $45 million. Audiences were kinder than the cash register, giving the film a 90 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Another Costly Miss
Runner is also Ritchson’s second straight movie to struggle in theaters. His gangster film Motor City, in which he played the lead, brought in just over $3 million against a reported $30 million budget, Collider reported. That is a wide gap, even by Hollywood standards, where “wait for streaming” can sometimes sound less like a strategy and more like a corporate escape hatch. Both films can still earn additional money through video-on-demand sales, but the available figures do not yet show whether that revenue will make either project profitable.
Ritchson Keeps Politics in the Spotlight
Ritchson has also made himself part of the political conversation with repeated, expletive-laced criticism of President Donald Trump. In July, he suggested Trump was implicated in the Epstein files and said, “Go to jail.” In another podcast appearance, he accused Trump of using his office and influence for personal gain. At Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Ritchson said studios had called him and asked him not to talk about politics, adding that Sony had told him to keep quiet. He still mentioned Epstein, proving that “not today” can be a very flexible promise in the entertainment business.
The White House Dispute Came With Paperwork
Ritchson also attacked White House projects, describing the White House as “in ruins” while pointing to a UFC fight cage on the South Lawn and ongoing ballroom construction. He argued the work was not legal and questioned the plans for funding. The source story notes that the ballroom plans had been approved by both the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission. In August, the Supreme Court ruled construction could continue after finding that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the group challenging Trump, lacked standing. Bureaucracy may be dull, but it does occasionally show up with receipts.
Streaming Has Been Kinder
The box office is not the whole Ritchson scorecard. Collider noted that War Machine, released earlier this year, remains the most-watched Netflix original of 2026. His series Reacher has also been renewed for fifth and sixth seasons after a record-breaking fourth season that generated more than 1 billion weekly minutes watched, according to Nielsen. Those results show a split screen: Ritchson’s streaming projects have found a much larger audience, while his recent theatrical releases have faced a far less forgiving market. Hollywood, naturally, will now wait for the home-viewing numbers to finish the argument.
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