Power Ballad Sets May 29 Limited Release, June 5 Wide
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- Power Ballad will go limited on May 29 before a wide break on June 5, an update from the original June 5, 2026 wide date Lionsgate first announced in October 2025.
- John Carney's film world premiered at SXSW, where it earned a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Deadline's Glenn Garner wrote that the movie "has the potential to serve as a feel-good movie for a date night" or a "comfort watch for artists who want to feel valued in an oversaturated creative landscape."
- The plot centers on Rick (Rudd), a wedding singer who bonds with fading boy-band star Danny (Jonas) during a gig, only for Danny to turn one of Rick's songs into a hit that reignites his own career — prompting Rick to set out to reclaim recognition.
- Peter McDonald co-wrote the screenplay with Carney and also stars in the film alongside Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, and Jack Reynor.
- 30West fully financed and executive produced Power Ballad, with Anthony Bregman, John Carney, Peter Cron, Rebecca O'Flanagan, and Robert Walpole producing.
- The June 5 wide release puts Power Ballad in direct competition with Amazon MGM Studios' Masters of the Universe (directed by Travis Knight) and Warner Bros and Legendary's hybrid live-action animated Animal Friends.
Why it matters: Power Ballad's June 5 wide bow stacks Lionsgate's 92% Rotten Tomatoes SXSW film against Amazon MGM's Masters of the Universe and Warner Bros/Legendary's Animal Friends, creating a three-way summer frame where Carney's mid-budget feel-good music comedy must fight for screens against two franchise-scale titles.
