Magazine Dreams has had a long and winding road to getting a wide release date and theatrical distribution. After its premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and winning the Sundance Special Jury Prize, the film was initially slated for December 2023 release after being acquired by Searchlight Pictures. However, following controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors, who stars in and executive produced the film, Magazine Dreams was subsequently dropped by Searchlight, leaving the film without a home for quite some time.