“Road House” Remake to Open SXSW 2024

Before it roundhouse kicks its way into homes on Prime Video, Doug Liman's Road House remake will premiere at this year's SXSW. Not only that, the film will hold its world premiere as the fest's Opening Night Film.

VP of Film & TV Claudette Godfrey claims the film contains Jake Gylenhaal's "career-best performance," but audiences will have to wait and see if that's true. Yet it's undeniable that "the film is an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed reimagining of the '80s cult classic," as head of Amazon MGM Studios Jennifer Salke stated.

While the festival and the studio are clearly excited, the film's premiere is not without a bit of controversy. Director Doug Liman has reportedly said he won't attend, in protest of Amazon's decision to send the film straight to streaming with no theatrical release.

We shared the film's trailer earlier, but you can check it out again below.

Road House opens this year's SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 8. An exclusive streaming release on Prime Video follows on March 21.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.