Travis Scott’s Saturday night (July 22) headlining performance at Rolling Loud Festival in Miami finally saw him give his loyal fanbase what they’ve been waiting half a decade for, as well as another pleasant surprise. To kick off his set, Scott played a half-minute-long teaser for an upcoming film he is releasing, titled Circus Maximus. While plastering the date “7/28” on the big screen behind the stage after the video finished, Scott announced to the Florida crowd that both his movie and his long-awaited Utopia album will arrive next Friday (July 28).
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“I’m dropping a movie in theaters with my album on Friday,” he said. “I’ll see you next week in Utopia.”
Throughout his performance, Scott played multiple songs that could land on Utopia, such as the single “K-POP” with Bad Bunny and The Weeknd, as well as previously teased tracks “Lost Forever” and “God’s Country.” This entire summer, Scott has slowly, but surely guaranteed fans that Utopia was right around the corner, following up his beloved 2018 LP, Astroworld.
Whether it be playing the album for famous athletes, walking around toting a briefcase with “Utopia” written on it or erecting album-themed billboards in Los Angeles, the trail of bread crumbs was thorough. Now, after weeks of speculation and conflicting reports regarding the release date, it has finally come out of Scott’s mouth that July 28 is the day.
As for Circus Maximus, Scott has not discussed the potential for a film publicly whatsoever, as of late. However, in Aug. 2021, he inked a deal with burgeoning motion picture studio A24 to produce a movie to accompany Utopia. At the time, Scott was expected to release the album before the end of 2021, as he put out two promotional singles in the form of “Escape Plan” and “Mafia.” But, the catastrophe that was his Astroworld Festival took place the next day, causing 10 casualties and ultimately delaying Utopia‘s release.
According to a report from earlier this month, though, The Film Stage noted that Scott’s film was still in the works, and is directed by Harmony Korine. In the past, Korine has written and directed blockbuster movies like Kids (1995) and Spring Breakers (2012), along with crafting music videos for Rihanna, Sonic Youth, and The Black Keys. Additionally, a photo taken by Korine was used as the cover art for Scott’s 2019 compilation album, Jackboys.
Next week, while fans will be gathering first impressions of Utopia and Circus Maximus, Scott will be in Egypt for his widely-publicized “Utopia party” at the Pyramids of Giza. Although there have been many rumors that the show could be cancelled, Scott and promotor Live Nation continue to insist that the unspecified event will happen.
Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
