Olivia Wilde returns behind the camera with The Invite, a sharp, provocative relationship drama that transforms a simple dinner party into a night of upheaval.
Directed by and starring Wilde, alongside Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton, the film dives into the fragile dynamics of love, desire, and honesty.
The Invite premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it earned a standing ovation from audiences. The film quickly became one of the most talked-about titles at the festival, sparking a competitive bidding war before being acquired by A24. It will open in select theaters in the U.S. on June 26, 2026, followed by a wide release everywhere in July.
In the film, a married couple on the brink of collapse invites their enigmatic neighbors over for dinner, only for the evening to spiral into a revealing and unpredictable exploration of intimacy, desire, and long-buried truths. As boundaries blur and secrets surface, the night forces both couples to confront what they truly want from each other.
At the Sundance Premiere, Wilde spoke candidly about the personal and creative journey behind the film, saying, “We wanted to really tell the story of people, Joe and Angela, who had forgotten their own agency within their relationship, within their lives. They’ve come to the very common place of, ‘This person makes me miserable.’ And so we worked within the confines of that specific problem.”
Writing for Deadline, critic Glenn Garner described the film as a “whip-smart marital comedy,” writing, “Overall, the film explores dynamics of sex and relationships with raw and endearing honesty, as a once-head-over-heels couple blows up their marriage in the course of one dinner, and maybe attempts to repair it again.”
Watch the official trailer for The Invite, above.
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