The news earlier this year that filmmaker David Leitch is to create a new heist movie for Amazon MGM has raised expectations that this genre could be about to make a comeback. What can we expect, and how might it fit into current entertainment trends?
The History of Heist Movies
We need to go back to the start of the 20th century to find the first heist movie ever made. The Great Train Robbery is a silent Western that follows the heist of a steam train by a band of outlaws. However, 1950’s The Asphalt Jungle by John Huston is generally credited as marking the start of a golden era for heist movies.
A list of the best heist movies shows how the sector has diversified, with 2001’s Bandits, 1996’s Mission Impossible, and 2021’s Wrath of Man listed among the top choices. The Italian Job, from 1969, remains one of the most-loved examples of this genre, inspiring a 2003 film of the same name.
The thrill of the heist plot has also moved into the casino industry, with the bank vault setting in the Action Bank slot by SG Digital showing how a classic slot mechanism can incorporate symbols like a vault door as well as traditional symbols. Other slots, such as Heist Guys and Art Heist, add a variety of characters who carry out daring raids.
What to Expect from the New Movie?
Reports earlier this year suggested that Leitch’s new movie will be produced by Imagine Entertainment and 87North Productions, with Nicholas Hoult set to star in it. No title was initially mentioned, but recent reports suggest that it will be called How to Rob a Bank.
It’s been made for Amazon MGM, and while few plot details have been released to date, we know that it’s set around a team that carries out a series of bank heists. Pete Davidson, Zoë Kravitz and Christian Slater are among the other stars who joined the cast for filming earlier this year in Pittsburgh.
The gang featured in the movie are social media savvy, using these platforms to show off the details of their heists and taunt the police. This movie is set for a theatrical release before heading to streaming, with a release date of September 4, 2026 in the US.
The Future of Heist Movies?
After a period where relatively few heist movies were released, we’ve seen the Play Dirty film starring Mark Wahlberg released this year. The Mastermind is another recent release, with Josh O’Connor starring as an unemployed carpenter who plans to carry out a heist of several paintings from an art museum.
If How to Rob a Bank is a big success, it could lead to a new trend for heist movies. Its chances of making a big impact are helped by the fact that, for the moment, it’s not up against a lot of competition for the American Labour Day weekend audience. This could help it get a strong start by grabbing a big audience share on this important weekend.
