A24 has acquired Olivia Wilde's The Invite from Sundance, setting a June 26 release. The film stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz as couples navigating suburban swinging culture.
This is either brilliantly subversive or a career-killer for everyone involved. I'm genuinely not sure which.
According to Deadline, A24 beat out multiple bidders at Sundance, which tells you the film has something going for it beyond shock value. A24 thrives on cultural conversation pieces - films that get people arguing on social media and writing think pieces. The Invite will absolutely deliver that.
But here's the billion-dollar question: can a movie about neighborhood orgies find an audience in 2026's fractured theatrical landscape?
On one hand, A24 knows its brand. They've successfully sold adult-oriented provocation before. This is the studio that made The Lobster and Poor Things work commercially. They understand how to market weird.
On the other hand, we're talking about a comedy where Seth Rogen and Penélope Cruz presumably get up to things that will make Don't Worry Darling look tame by comparison. That's a tough theatrical sell in an environment where studios are risk-averse and audiences are staying home unless you give them Avengers-level spectacle.
The cast is inspired, though. Edward Norton doing sex comedy? Penélope Cruz in full A24 weird mode? Olivia Wilde directing herself in material that's guaranteed to generate headlines? This is either genius or disaster, with no middle ground.
I'm rooting for it, honestly. Hollywood needs more genuine risks, more films that make people uncomfortable in interesting ways. We've got enough safe franchise extensions.
Just maybe see it on a date where you've really established trust first.
