2026 has been a solid year for movies. Whether it’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s record-breaking performance or the insane success of Obsession and Back Rooms, there’s been something for every type of cinephile. There are plenty more upcoming movies to look forward to, and I was recently shocked to learn that there are two films coming out with basically identical titles. What’s more, they’re being released within a week of each other. How did no one notice this?
Those people out there with an Amazon Prime subscription will soon be treated to Kevin Macdonald’s The Runner, which stars Gal Gadot. In it, the former Wonder Woman actress plays an attorney who is forced to run through London after her son is abducted by a mysterious kidnapper. But while googling this movie, another 2026 project came up.
Namely Scott Waugh’s Runner, which stars Reacher actor Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson. That movie will focus on a delivery man (Ritchson) who must avoid mercenaries while trying to bring a new liver to a sick girl. They’re very different stories, but it’s crazy that just one “the” separates these two titles. What’s more, they’re being released within just a few days of each other.
The Runner will arrive on Amazon September 2nd, and assume it’ll end up being a popular streaming choice with Gal Gadot at the center. Then, a week later, Alan Ricthson’s Runner will arrive in theaters on September 11th. So not only are these two movies coming out with basically the same title, but they’re also being released at the same time. And I just can’t believe that neither studio clocked this ahead of time.
Technically speaking, these two movies won’t actually compete with each other. The Runner is going straight to streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while Runner will have a full theatrical run. If they were both trying to perform at the box office within a week of each other, I’d assume there would be some cannibalization of their financial takes. Luckily, they’re being released in two very different places.
Still, I have to assume that these (nearly) identical movie titles are going to confuse moviegoers other than myself. Perhaps people will go to the theater thinking they’re going to see a new Gal Gadot movie, only for Alan Ritchson to show up and kick ass. I have to assume that employees at movie theater box offices aren’t going to be aware of these two movies arriving at the same time, so it’s not like they’ll be able to double-check with folks who are buying tickets. Seriously, this whole situation is blowing my mind!
The Runner hits Amazon on September 2nd as part of the 2026 movie release list, and Runner will arrive in theaters on September 11th. We’ll have to wait and see if there are any notable mix-ups between these two new movies.
