Alan Ritchson, the Jack Reacher star who has fashioned himself into one of Hollywoods more strident critics of President Donald Trump, is now confronting a second consecutive box-office disappointment as his latest film, Runner, limps from theaters to streaming platforms after a brief and underwhelming run.
According to Western Journal, Runner, which co-stars Owen Wilson, opened in more than 2,500 theaters on Sept. 11 but rapidly lost steam. Within three weeks, it had been cut to just 340 theaters and had fallen to 24th place in weekend ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo.
The films commercial struggles stand in stark contrast to its reception among moviegoers, who gave the Angel Studios-distributed action picture a 90 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite that audience enthusiasm, the movie has so far taken in only $17.7 million against a reported production budget estimated between $35 million and $45 million, a gap that underscores the growing disconnect between online buzz and actual ticket sales.
Runner is not the only recent misfire for Ritchson, whose profile has risen in tandem with his increasingly aggressive political commentary. The gangster drama Motor City, in which he played the lead, also tanked in theaters, garnering just over $3 million in sales with a budget of $30 million, Collider reported, leaving studios to hope that downstream revenue might soften the blow.
Ritchson has spent much of the past year using his growing platform to launch expletive-laden broadsides at Trump, often straying far beyond the usual Hollywood talking points. In July, he went so far as to suggest that the president is implicated in the Epstein files, declaring that Trump has the keys to the nuclear codes . Like, dude, what? Go to jail.
In another podcast appearance that same month, the actor made clear he has no intention of tempering his rhetoric, even as studios grow wary of alienating half the country. Im 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 Im supposed to let that go, he said, framing his hostility toward Trump as a moral crusade rather than mere partisan disagreement.
Ritchson has also turned his ire on the current state of American politics and the Trump White House specifically, painting a picture of chaos and lawlessness. Look at the politics we deal with right now, Ritchson said. The White House is in ruins, he added, citing the UFC fight cage on the South Lawn and the ongoing ballroom construction as symbols of institutional decay.
He then escalated his criticism by accusing the administration of bypassing legal and procedural norms in its renovation plans. And no consequences. It wasnt done legally. Theres no plan in place. Now youre asking for money. Its like, what are we doing? he said, suggesting that the project exemplifies a broader disregard for accountability.
Those claims, however, are at odds with the public record surrounding the White House ballroom project. The plans have been reviewed and approved by both the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the very bodies tasked with overseeing such changes to the historic complex.
Moreover, the legal challenge mounted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation failed to persuade the nations highest court. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in August that construction could continue, finding that the group seeking to halt the project lacked standing, a decision that undercuts Ritchsons narrative of unchecked, unlawful activity.
Despite the legal and procedural clarity, Ritchson continues to cast himself as a truth-teller in an industry that, he claims, would prefer he remain silent. Speaking at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto last month, he said he receives frequent calls from studios urging him to stay away from politics and to just shut up, a request he openly resents.
He singled out one major studio by name, underscoring the tension between his activism and his employers commercial interests. Sony told me not to. And Im not going to say anything, not today, he said, before nevertheless slipping in another reference to Epstein, signaling that he has little intention of backing down.
Even as his recent theatrical outings falter, Ritchsons career is not without bright spots, particularly in the streaming arena. Collider noted that he began the year with the sci-fi action film War Machine, which remains the most-watched Netflix original of 2026, a reminder that digital platforms can still turn certain projects into global hits regardless of box-office returns.
His flagship television role also remains secure and lucrative, reinforcing his status as a bankable star in long-form streaming content. 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, the outlet said, highlighting the shows massive audience reach.
Studio accountants, however, will be watching closely to see whether ancillary markets can rescue Ritchsons recent big-screen ventures. Both Motor City and Runner are expected to generate additional revenue through video-on-demand and other post-theatrical windows, but whether it will be enough to make them profitable is yet to be seen, leaving open the question of how long Hollywood will indulge stars whose politics risk overshadowing their box-office draw.
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