Arthur the King is a 2024 American adventure film directed by Simon Cellan Jones, written by Michael Brandt, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, and Juliet Rylance.

In 2015 in Costa Rica, American runner Michael Light and his adventure racing team gets stuck on the first day after he makes the poor decision to kayak against the tide.

Looking at the viral Instagram post of that failure, his 19th attempt to win the international race, Helen encourages him to get a team together and seek a sponsor.

He chooses two of his teammates: Olivia, a climber whose father made a career in the same discipline; and the older racer Chik, who had been dropped from a multi-winning Australian team due to a knee injury whose recovery is uncertain.

Finding Leo in California, who is in a promotional photo shoot for his new line of clothing, Michael is forced into admitting his egocentricity cost them the 2015 race.

Arthur collapses on arrival and a veterinarian finds he is severely infected by parasites, advising to put him down to prevent further suffering, which Michael refuses.

[10][11][12] In December 2020, it was announced that Simu Liu, Ali Suliman and Rob Collins were cast in the film and that Simon Cellan Jones would replace Kormákur.

[5] In the United States, Arthur the King was released alongside The American Society of Magical Negroes and the wide expansion of Love Lies Bleeding, and was projected to gross $8–10 million from 3,003 theaters in its opening weekend.

The website's consensus reads: "It's hard to deny Arthur the King's ability to tug at the heartstrings, although it may have been more effective if it had taken a subtler approach.

"[18] Variety's Courtney Howard found that "If indelible Movie Moments are in short supply, inevitably making Wahlberg and Ukai's chemistry the true highlight, the film's sentiments on selflessness nonetheless stand out.

They're a ringing testament to the powerful bond between man and dog, and a kind-hearted reminder that canine companionship can be a lifeline in troubled times.

"[19] Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times commented, "Suffering may be Wahlberg's raison d'être, but this is a lighter and more uplifting mode for the actor, who clearly enjoys the extreme physicality of the performance, even if the emotional tenor is well within his established star persona.