Matchbox: The Movie

Matchbox: The Movie

Matchbox: The Movie is a 2026 American action comedy film directed by Sam Hargrave and written by David Coggeshall, based on the toy brand Matchbox by Mattel. It stars John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris. In the film, CIA spy Sean Walker reunites with childhood friends only to be drugged and kidnapped by a group looking for a nuclear warhead. The CIA believes Walker and his friends stole the nuclear weapon, so the group decides to re-steal the bomb and clear their names.

Matchbox: The Movie was released in the United States on Apple TV on October 9, 2026. It received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Matchbox: The Movie

Sean, Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine, all middle schoolers—formed the "Matchbox Gang". They were a tight-knit group of friends in the small town of Cartersville, Ohio, in the late 1990s, having grown up playing with Matchbox cars together. Sean has a secret crush on Aimee but has long hesitated to confess his feelings. Sean has a crush on Aimee but has long hesitated to confess his feelings. Now adults, the five of them—with the exception of Sean, all lead quiet, uneventful lives. Aimee is a paramedic who loves motor racing; Crosby becomes a construction foreman and marries Charmaine; Charmaine works as a helicopter pilot and dreams of becoming a journalist; Ted is married and works as a science teacher at a local high school; As for Sean, he currently works as a CIA operative, traveling throughout various countries around the world.

One day, Smalley, a mechanic at the auto repair shop and Aimee’s uncle, passes away, prompting Sean to return to his hometown after 28 years and reunite with Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine. Unexpectedly, the incoming CIA Director, Mosier, kidnapped the five individuals, suspecting that Sean had stolen a nuclear warhead intended for a CIA ally. Sean rescued the group, fitted Mosier and the others with parachutes before pushing them out of the plane, and then landed the aircraft in Casablanca.

Subsequently, Sean discovers that his trusted CIA contact, Helen, along with several other agency associates, has gone rogue. They have stolen a nuclear warhead and intend to detonate it at a peace summit in Budapest, aiming to incite the United States to engage in further foreign conflicts. Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine have been framed by the CIA and are now wanted fugitives; Sean leads them as they evade the forces sent by Helen. Determined to recover the nuclear warhead and clear his friends' names, Sean—with the help of his Russian ally, Grigor, seeks out his Romanian ally, Robbie, who is currently in possession of the warhead. Helen’s associates, including Falko, showed up and took away the nuclear warhead along with Sean.

Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine decide to rescue Sean and recover the nuclear warhead; Robbie provides them with vehicles and other equipment, enabling them to catch up with Helen’s convoy. In the end, with the help of his friends, Sean killed Falko and the others, but Helen managed to escape with the nuclear warhead.

Helen left the truck carrying the nuclear warhead in Budapest, then attempted to depart by helicopter. Matchbox Gang discovered the nuclear warhead, but it is set to detonate once it moves beyond a certain distance from Helen. Sean caught up with Helen and managed to retrieve the detonator, while Helen died in a helicopter crash. Afterward, Mosier arrived to retrieve the nuclear warhead, thanked the Matchbox Gang for their contribution, cleared Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine of all charges, and provided them with compensation. Sean said goodbye to his friends and left with Mosier.

Aimee, Crosby, Ted, and Charmaine returned to Ohio. Crosby and Charmaine decided to move to Seattle to pursue Charmaine’s dream. Sean and Aimee reunite and resolve their lingering issues, allowing their long-stalled romance to finally blossom.

Cast

Matchbox: The Movie

• John Cena as Sean Walker • Graham Harvey as young Sean Walker • Jessica Biel as Aimee • Reagan Marum as young Aimee • Sam Richardson as Crosby • Aiden Stoxx as young Crosby • Arturo Castro as Ted • Max Fox as young Ted • Teyonah Parris as Charmaine • Braxton Paul as young Charmaine • Corey Stoll as Mosier • Bill Camp as Smalley • Golshifteh Farahani as Robbie • Danai Gurira as Helen • Daniel Bernhardt as Falko • Randeep Hooda as Mustafa • Kristoffer Hivju as Grigor • Tornike Gogrichiani as Eastbrook • Sam Hargrave as Crew Chief Grizz

Production

Matchbox: The Movie

In May 2024, Skydance Media and Mattel Films were developing a live-action film based on the toy brand Matchbox. Sam Hargrave had been hired to direct the film, and David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper were writing the screenplay. In September, John Cena joined the cast in the lead role. In November, Jessica Biel joined the cast in an undisclosed role. In December, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Randeep Hooda, Danai Gurira, Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, and Golshifteh Farahani would later be added to the cast.

Filming began in Budapest in January 2025, with additional filming taking place in Casablanca in March, as evidenced by social media posts showing lead actor John Cena filming action car scenes on location. Scenes were also filmed in Erfoud and Merzouga. Production was set in Slovakia and Los Angeles. Principal photography ended on April 7, 2025.

Release

Matchbox: The Movie

Matchbox: The Movie had its world premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York on October 5, 2026, and was released to Apple TV on October 9.

Reception

Viewership

Matchbox: The Movie ranked first on Apple TV viewing chart in the United States within the first 24 hours of its release, surpassing Mayday and F1, and is currently in the top 10 in 23 countries.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 24% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.