Alan Ritchson’s new film “Motor City” has collapsed at the box office, earning just $1.69 million in its domestic opening weekend against a reported $30 million production budget. The dismal performance came after the “Reacher” star made unsubstantiated allegations against President Donald Trump during a promotional podcast appearance, prompting a vocal conservative boycott.
The film opened across 1,600 domestic theaters on July 24, pulling in $1,693,905 over its first weekend, according to box office tracking site The Numbers. That translated to an average of $1,059 per theater, placing the film ninth for the weekend. Weekly earnings then dropped 84 percent as the theater count fell from 1,600 to 600, leaving the domestic total at roughly $2.71 million and the worldwide gross at approximately $3.03 million.
What Ritchson Said on the Podcast
The controversy began during a late-July appearance on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, where Ritchson was promoting the film. The conversation turned to the government’s release of records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Ritchson directed his anger at Trump without offering any supporting evidence. “These f, ing rapists! We’re just cool with it?” he said, before adding, “He’s, like, all up into 13-year-olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail.” He made no apology or retraction during the appearance.
The White House pushed back quickly. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Entertainment Weekly that Trump had been “totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein,” pointing to the administration’s release of thousands of pages of documents, cooperation with a House Oversight Committee subpoena, and Trump’s signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. You can review Alan Ritchson Motor City box office for further details on the film’s performance and the podcast exchange.
Conservative Backlash and Celebrity Reactions
Trump supporters treated the box office numbers as direct confirmation that Ritchson had alienated his core audience. “Was a big Reacher fan until he shot his mouth off,” one X user wrote. “Will never watch anything he’s in. Hope his career is over.” Popular account Catturd added, “LMAO, his new movie flopped, the Trump curse remains undefeated.”
Actors Kevin Sorbo and Dean Cain also weighed in. Sorbo said, “You’d think he’d be smart enough to keep his mouth shut because fans of Reacher happen to also be right-wing. But nope.” Cain jokingly advised Ritchson to take a bottle of “Trumpenol” that “cures Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Filmmaker Mike Binder questioned the logic of the outburst: “Why would this guy do this? Why would he piss off half the public as he builds a career? I felt bad for him but worse for the folks that bankrolled him.”
What Comes Next for Ritchson’s Projects
The fallout has extended beyond “Motor City.” Mark Meckler publicly questioned Angel Studios for casting Ritchson in its upcoming film “Runner,” writing that viewers should be “running from Angel.” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton described the podcast appearance as “more unhinged and violent rhetoric” targeting Trump.
“Motor City” stars Ritchson as a Detroit factory worker framed for drug possession who escapes prison to seek revenge, with Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, and Ben McKenzie also appearing. Ritchson is additionally credited as a producer on the film. Whether the box office failure and ongoing backlash affect his continued role in the Amazon Prime “Reacher” series remains to be seen.
