‘Heated Rivalry’ Gets Official Theatrical Release Date at Over 650 Movie Theaters

Television events making the leap to cinemas usually involve finales or anniversary re-releases of established franchises. A Canadian hockey romance that premiered less than a year ago on a domestic streaming service is a less obvious candidate. The ‘Heated Rivalry’ theatrical release is nonetheless happening on a scale that few limited engagements attempt.

The series arrived on Crave on November 28, 2025, with a simultaneous HBO Max launch in the US after a preview screening at Montreal’s Image+Nation LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney, it adapts Rachel Reid’s ‘Game Changers’ novels.

Its performance justified the ambition. Distributor Sphere Abacus announced that all 6 episodes of season 1 will screen theatrically from November 6 through November 30, with Regal leading the nationwide release at over 275 of its own locations while bringing the series to more than 650 theaters including AMC and Cinemark.

The structure pairs episodes into 3 double features. Episodes 1 and 2 pair “Rookies” with “Olympians”, episodes 3 and 4 combine “Hunter” and “Rose”, and the final pairing brings together “I’ll Believe in Anything” and “The Cottage”, each priced at $9.99.

‘HEATED RIVALRY’ will be released in theaters starting from November 6. There will be 3 paired screenings: Episodes 1 & 2, Episodes 3 & 4 and Episodes 5 & 6. https://t.co/uryDNUdh9e

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 22, 2026

Regal screenings include extras beyond the episodes themselves, with welcome content from the cast, director, and series creator Tierney. There’s a themed element too. Participating locations will offer 2 limited-time cocktails called Summer in Montreal and Russians Don’t Blush.

Canadian fans get something different. Cineplex is running screenings on November 6 followed by a full marathon of all 6 episodes on November 8, clocking in at 5 hours and 22 minutes with intermissions, an event that reportedly crashed Cineplex’s website.

The show’s numbers made the case. It became the most-watched original series on Crave and was reported as the highest-performing acquired, non-animated debut on HBO Max.

Regal’s Brooks LeBoeuf, Senior Vice President of U.S. Content, said that when a series connects with audiences the way this one has, they look for ways to bring it to the big screen and give fans a reason to experience it together.

Sphere Abacus framed it similarly. Hana Palmer, Executive Director of Global Distribution and Partnerships, described the show as a global phenomenon creating a rush of social media and press activity wherever it lands.

Official trailer for #HeatedRivalry – premiering November 28 on HBO Max. https://t.co/krxI1OlicP

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) November 22, 2025

The critical reception backed the commercial performance. The series received acclaim for Tierney’s direction, the writing and the chemistry between leads Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.

The trophy cabinet is substantial. It swept the Canadian Screen Awards in May with 16 wins, and also took the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New TV Series, a Peabody, the TCA Award for Program of the Year, and a Dorian TV Award for Best TV Drama.

Reid drew inspiration for the central rivalry from the real-life dynamic between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. The timing is deliberate, arriving just before the show’s first anniversary and well ahead of its return. Season 2 is expected in 2027, with reports pointing toward spring.

It adapts Reid’s ‘Role Model’ alongside elements of ‘The Long Game’, introducing Justice Smith as Harris Drover and Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett, plus Daniel Diemer, Shaheen Jafargholi and David Tomlinson. That casting drew some fan pushback, which Reid addressed on Instagram by noting how many people told her the original Ilya and Shane casting was wrong.

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