‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Arrives in Theaters January 2026 Following Festival Debut and Strong Early Critical Response

Brilliantly offbeat and tinged with a darkly humorous edge, Dead Man's Wire arrives in theaters this January.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, January 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dead Man’s Wire, the new crime thriller directed by Gus Van Sant, will open in limited release in U.S. theaters on January 9, 2026, followed by a nationwide expansion on January 16, 2026. Anchored by a performance from Bill Skarsgård, the grounded thriller blends tension, irony, and social commentary, examining power, spectacle, and the stories societies tell themselves.

Rather than functioning as an action spectacle, Dead Man’s Wire is a character-driven crime thriller that emphasizes tension, negotiation, and moral ambiguity. The film incorporates dark humor as part of its examination of media attention and public myth-making, positioning it closer to restrained crime dramas than to contemporary action-forward thrillers.

Inspired by the true story of Tony Kiritsis and set against the backdrop of a real 1977 standoff, Dead Man’s Wire stars Skarsgård in the lead role alongside Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino. The film was written by Austin Kolodney and marks the inaugural theatrical release from Row K Entertainment.

The film premiered out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and subsequently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and AFI Fest, where it drew attention for its restrained, character-focused approach to the crime genre.

Early critical response has highlighted the film’s tone and performances. Variety praised Dead Man’s Wire for its “brilliantly offbeat tone and darkly humorous edge,” noting Skarsgård’s “fearless performance” at the center of the film. The film currently holds a 98% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tonally, Dead Man’s Wire has been compared to films such as Dog Day Afternoon, A Simple Plan, Fargo, and the darker works of the Coen Brothers — comparisons that reflect its thematic approach and emphasis on character pressure rather than plot mechanics or spectacle.

Row K Entertainment acquired North American rights to Dead Man’s Wire in September 2025. Tickets and showtimes for the limited theatrical release will be available through local theaters and major ticketing platforms ahead of the January 9 opening.

About Row K Entertainment
Row K Entertainment is a film distribution company focused on releasing distinctive, filmmaker-driven projects for theatrical audiences. Dead Man’s Wire marks the company’s inaugural release.

ROW K ENTERTAINMENT
ROW K ENTERTAINMENT
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