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Sydney Sweeney is swapping glam for grit in Americana, a genre-bending crime thriller that finally gets its big-screen moment today. Two years after making noise at SXSW, this neo-Western ride is ready to charge into theaters with a plot involving stolen artifacts and shady deals. Helmed by Tony Tost in his directorial debut, the film wrangles an eclectic cast (yes, including Halsey making her acting debut). It throws them into a violent tug-of-war over a piece of history.
Americana: Release Date
Originally marked for August 22, 2025, Americana now rides into U.S. theaters a week earlier on August 15, 2025. Lionsgate is rolling it out across roughly 2,800 screens, aiming to capture late-summer crowds looking for action with an edge. The move comes after Lionsgate acquired worldwide distribution rights in March 2024, over a year after the film’s SXSW debut. UK release details remain unconfirmed, leaving international audiences waiting a little longer for their turn.
Americana: Plot
At the heart of Americana is a Lakota Ghost Shirt, a sacred Native American relic that surfaces on the black market, drawing a motley crowd of opportunists, dreamers, and dangerous players. Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney) is a quiet waitress with Nashville dreams and very little cash to her name.
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Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser), a lonely veteran with a tender heart, becomes her unlikely partner in a high-risk plan to steal the artifact. The problem? Everyone else wants it too. Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane) is a brute-for-hire working for Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex), a slick antiquities dealer who doesn’t play fair.
Adding to the chaos is Mandy Starr (Halsey), a runaway with a clouded history, and Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), an Indigenous leader determined to return the Ghost Shirt to its rightful tribal home.
Americana – A really neat blend of the crime, thriller and western genre. Really strong performances from Sydney Sweeney and Halsey who actually is very involved here (make her a lead in more films please she’s so great here.)
Has a bit of Coen brothers DNA which really works! pic.twitter.com/ZHAuIkDr1V
— Jerome! 🐈⬛ (@JeromeM94Movies) August 11, 2025
Americana: Cast
Sydney Sweeney trades in her Euphoria intensity for a grounded, small-town dreamer. Paul Walter Hauser, fresh off an Emmy win for Black Bird, adds unexpected warmth to Lefty. Halsey’s turn as Mandy Starr marks her first acting role, and early critics have singled her out as a breakout.
Zahn McClarnon brings gravitas to Ghost Eye, while Eric Dane leans into his villainy as Dillon. Simon Rex slides effortlessly into sleaze as Roy Lee Dean. Rounding out the lineup are Gavin Maddox Bergman, Derek Hinkey, Toby Huss, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Donald Cerrone.
Glimmers of Americana pic.twitter.com/MhyIsihQ94
— Oliver Dahl (@OliverWDahl) August 11, 2025
More About Americana
Tony Tost, known for writing on Longmire and The Terror, steps behind the camera for the first time here. He shot the film in New Mexico in February 2022, sharing production turf with Oppenheimer. Alex Saks serves as producer, with Nigel Bluck handling cinematography, Peter McNulty in the edit bay, and David Fleming composing the score.
Critics from SXSW praised Tost’s confident style, calling it reminiscent of early Tarantino and Coen Brothers. Rotten Tomatoes scores hover in the low 80s, with particular love for Halsey’s debut and McClarnon’s grounded presence. Americana is rated R for violence, strong language, and s*xual references.
Americana Trailer
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