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Vertical Takes North American Rights to ‘The Weight,’ Sets Sept. 18 Theatrical Release

Premiered at Sundance then Berlinale, the Ethan HawkeRussell Crowe thriller marks editor Padraic McKinley’s feature debut with strong early reviews.

Overview

  • Vertical will release the film widely in North American theaters on September 18, 2026.
  • Following its Sundance premiere, the film played the 76th Berlin International Film Festival and drew a reported 94% Rotten Tomatoes score.
  • Set in 1933 Oregon, the story centers on a prisoner offered freedom if he joins a dangerous gold-smuggling trek through the wilderness.
  • Padraic McKinley directs his first feature from a screenplay by Matthew Chapman and Shelby Gaines, based on a story by Matthew Booi and Leo Scherman.
  • CAA Media Finance and WME Independent arranged financing and co-brokered the North American deal, with augenschein Filmproduktion and Fields Entertainment among the producers.