IFC announced Thursday it has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to writer-director Macon Blair’s dark road trip comedy “The Shitheads.”
The news comes just a little over a month after the comedy had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it was received warmly. Written, directed and produced by Blair, “The Shitheads” follows two “unqualified bozos” (Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who are hired to transfer a rich teen (“The Black Phone” star Mason Thames) to rehab only for their straightforward gig to quickly spiral dangerously and chaotically out of control.
In addition to Jackson Jr., Thames and Franco, the film’s ensemble cast includes Kiernan Shipka (“Industry” Season 4), Nicholas Braun (“Succession”) and Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”). “The Shitheads” is only Blair’s third feature directorial effort, following 2023’s “The Toxic Avenger” and 2017’s “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.” It marks a reunion between him and Dinklage, who led Blair’s “Toxic Avenger” reboot.
The film, produced by Franco and executive produced by Jackson Jr., is set to be released theatrically in U.S. movie theaters sometime this summer.
“Classic buddy road trip comedies have a special place in moviegoing history. They’re bold, they’re wild and they’re meant to be shared with a crowd,” Mark Ward, RLJE’s Chief Acquisition Officer, a division of IFC Entertainment Group, said in a statement Thursday. “‘The Shitheads’ reminds us how much fun that ride can be and we’re thrilled to champion this film and bring that communal comedy experience back to theaters.”
“IFC feels like the perfect home for our movie: seasoned professionals and true film lovers who work creatively to connect audiences with off-center entertainment like ‘The Shitheads,’” Blair commented. “We knew we’d need a special distributor for this one and we found it in IFC.”
“The Shitheads” received largely positive reviews following its Sundance world premiere earlier this year. It is one of several breakout Sundance hits that have received distribution deals over the past few weeks.
Sony Pictures Classics recently nabbed the U.S. rights to director Noah Segan’s John Turturo-led crime thriller “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” while Sumerian Pictures officially acquired the domestic rights on Feb. 14 to “Josephine,” the Channing Tatum and Genna Chan-starring psychological thriller that took home both the audience and jury prizes at Sundance this year.
