Jonathan Majorsmay be seeing the first signs of his return to Hollywood creeping in as, along with his delayed movieMagazine Dreamsfinally being given a release date, his 2022 movieDevotionis currently sitting near the top of the Max streaming chart. The Korean War movie, in which Majors appears alongsideTop Gun: Maverickstar Glen Powell, received very little in the way of attention when it debuted in cinemas, but now is finding an audience on streaming despite Majors’ current position as a Hollywood outcast.
Directed by J.D. Dillard and based on Adam Makos’ bookDevotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice,the movie chronicles the bond between Jesse Brown (Majors), the first African American U.S. Navy aviator, and his friend and fellow fighter pilot Tom Hudner (Powell). The full synopsis for the movie reads:
“Devotion, an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name, tells the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.”
Devotionfaced stiff competition during the busy holiday season on its release, and did not find the audience that its critical appraisal suggested it deserved. The film scored highly with critics, landing an 80% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Majors’ lead role was given particular praise, which is hardly surprising considering the actor’s impressive rise to fame in Hollywood prior to his fall from grace. As if that was not enough, the audience score for the movie was even more impressive, currently holding at 93%. However, after taking just $21 million at the box office on the back of a $90 million budget, the film was an undeserving flop.
Jonathan Majors’ Precarious Position in Hollywood
Despite the success ofDevotionon Max, Majors’ off-screen life has taken a decidedly darker turn in the last two years. Early in 2023, he was arrested following an alleged domestic dispute, a matter that immediately cast a cloud over his rising star status. While the accusations have always been denied by the actor, the court verdict led to brands dropping him from their campaigns and Marvel Studios cutting ties with him despite his huge role in the MCU as Kang the Conqueror. Several movies the actor had in production at the time were either entirely abandoned, or in the cast ofMagazine Dreams, put on hold.
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However, one consistency throughout the whole case and its aftermath was Majors’ determination to regain his position in Hollywood. While that still seems a long way off, the renewed success ofDevotionon Max proves that Majors’ talent continues to speak to audiences, even when the headlines surrounding him are less than favorable. It is possible that something in the movie’s story of adversity has spoken to the actor’s supporters, tying to his own uphill struggle to attempt to rebuild the career that was just beginning to reach new heights.The upcoming release ofMagazine Dreamson March 21, will perhaps be a better indicator of how many people are willing to allow Majors back into their lives through his movies.
