Poster © Black Bear Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreCrime, Drama & Thriller
RatedR
Runtime2 hr 10 mins
ReleasedAugust 14, 2026
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorAndrew Patterson
StarringMatthew McConaughey, Kurt Russell, Angelina LookingGlass
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The Rivals of Amziah King (2025)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| The Rivals of Amziah King's Details | |
| Genre | Crime, Drama & Thriller |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 03/10/2025 (SXSW); 08/14/2026 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 10 mins |
| Budget | Not reported |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| The Rivals of Amziah King's Interests | |
| General | Beehives, honey trucks, bluegrass jams, swarm calls, small-town Oklahoma. |
| Music | Erick Alexander, Jared Bulmer and Ben Hardesty. Plus Amziah's bluegrass. |
| Movies | Ulee's Gold (1997) for the bees, The Vast of Night (2019) for more Andrew Patterson. |
| Television | Reservation Dogs. Oklahoma, community and a whole lot of heart. |
| Heroes | The bees. Hardest workers in Oklahoma, and they never clock out. |
| The Rivals of Amziah King's Crew | |
| Director | Andrew Patterson |
| Writers | Andrew Patterson |
| Producers | David Heyman, Teddy Schwarzman, Jeffrey Clifford, Michael Heimler, Andrew Patterson, Will Greenfield |
| Cinematography | Miguel I. Littin-Menz |
| Music | Erick Alexander, Jared Bulmer, Ben Hardesty |
| Edited By | Patrick J. Smith |
| Production | Black Bear Pictures, Heyday Films, G.E.D. Media |
| Distributed By | Black Bear Pictures |
A state investigator needs a beekeeper to identify a stolen truckload of honey, and that’s one of the calmer things that happens in The Rivals of Amziah King. Andrew Patterson’s film sprawls across 130 minutes and swerves between genres so hard that the warm, funny first stretch and what comes after barely feel related. The warm part is lovely. Matthew McConaughey is pure charm as Amziah, an Oklahoma beekeeper and bluegrass picker with opinions about church potlucks and friends in every direction. Angelina LookingGlass, in a striking debut, plays Kateri, the young woman he once fostered, who comes back after losing her mother. A chaotic day pulling a swarm of bees out of an elementary school is the most fun scene. Kurt Russell lurks as Dob McCoy, a rich local who has gotten richer off his neighbors. It made $3.7 million worldwide. A 7.3 because it’s bold and big-hearted, and the swerve won’t sit right with everyone. $6,524 says you buy local honey at the farmers market this week and casually ask the beekeeper for an alibi.
What works: Matthew McConaughey is a charming, lived-in delight, and Angelina LookingGlass gives a striking, confident debut performance.
What doesn’t: At 130 minutes it sprawls, and the hard swerve into much darker territory will leave some viewers cold.
Who it’s for: Fans of offbeat neo-Westerns, small-town characters and stories that refuse to stay in one genre.
Spoilers
Amziah dies suddenly after his hives are stolen, leaving Kateri his struggling honey business and its debts. She traces the theft back to Dob McCoy, her revenge turns ruthless and costs him everything, and with Amziah’s friends she wins back his bees and sets out to rule the local honey business as its new queen bee.
Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) keeps bees in rural Oklahoma, plays bluegrass, and knows everybody. A state investigator named Sunderland (Bruce Davis) needs his help identifying a stolen truckload of honey, which tells you honey is serious business out here. Then Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass), a young Native American woman Amziah once fostered, comes back into his life after losing her mother. He offers her work on the hives, introduces her to his musician friends and neighbors, and she starts catching the bug. Kurt Russell plays powerful local businessman Dob McCoy. Andrew Patterson directs. One hundred thirty-one minutes, extra sticky.
Beekeepers, bluegrass pickers, and anyone missing a truckload of honey. Bring a smoker.
| Matthew McConaughey | Amziah King |
| Kurt Russell | Dob McCoy |
| Angelina LookingGlass | Kateri |
| Jake Horowitz | Remmick |
| Scott Shepherd | Jimmy |
| Rob Morgan | Rippy |
| Tony Revolori | Colmar |
| Owen Teague | Pirate |
| Bruce Davis | Sunderland |
| Cole Sprouse | Oat |
| Catherine Dyer | Mrs. McCurdy |
| Jason Davis | Winton |
| Sandra Ellis Lafferty | Brenda |
| Harris Stone | Ross Crown |
| Sharon Blackwood | Juanita |
| Chip Carriere | Wenyon Amos Stone |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 18 October 2026 DataBot +400 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $3.7M; Domestic box office $2.1M; Opening weekend $1M; profit note now waits on a budget; Rotten Tomatoes 88%; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 88% (110 reviews); Metacritic 74 / 100; IMDb users 6.6 / 10 (8,008 votes); movie.guru score 7.2.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 18 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.