Olivia Wilde’s Buzzy A24 Comedy ‘The Invite’ Drops a New Clip Right Before Its Big Wide Release

Sundance breakouts do not always translate into theatrical buzz, but A24 has been building momentum for one of its buzziest festival acquisitions all summer long. The distributor has been steadily rolling out marketing for its raunchy dinner party comedy, and the latest promotional push arrives right as the film prepares to hit wide release.

‘The Invite‘ first premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it reportedly sparked a multi-day bidding war among distributors before A24 ultimately landed the project. Directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, the film also features Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton in a four-person ensemble that has become the biggest draw of the entire marketing campaign.

A24 has now shared a new clip from the film ahead of its nationwide expansion on July 10, following an earlier limited theatrical run that began on June 26. The brief scene shows Rogen’s character Joe sitting with Cruz’s character Piña, delivering a single loaded line about conventions that hints at the kind of tension driving the film’s central dinner party.

That dinner party premise sits at the heart of the story, which follows Joe and his wife Angela, played by Wilde, as their strained marriage gets put to the test when they invite their upstairs neighbors Piña and Hawk, played by Cruz and Norton, over for an evening that spirals into unexpected territory. The film is an English-language remake of the 2020 Spanish film ‘The People Upstairs’ by Cesc Gay, adapted for the screen by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.

Critical reception so far has leaned largely positive, with reviewers praising the chemistry between all four leads even when the film’s pacing or tonal shifts have drawn some mixed reactions. Rogen in particular has been singled out repeatedly, with one review describing his performance as a shift from his usual boisterous comedic energy into something closer to hardened, middle aged discontent, a change many critics have called one of the film’s biggest surprises.

Norton, who plays the flattering and slightly smarmy Hawk, spoke about the unconventional rehearsal process during the film’s Sundance run, telling IndieWire that the process felt less like a traditional rehearsal and more like an infusion, with Wilde extracting each actor’s own specific version of their character. He added that being invited to help build that chemistry from scratch would be some directors’ nightmare, but that it worked well under Wilde’s direction.

The film also carries a personal touch, since it is dedicated to Diane Keaton, who died in October 2025. Wilde has spoken about how encouraging Keaton had been to her over the years, adding a layer of emotional weight to a project that otherwise leans heavily into dark comedy and social discomfort.

Beyond its ensemble cast, ‘The Invite’ marks Wilde’s third outing as a director following ‘Booksmart’ and ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, continuing her pattern of alternating between broader comedic territory and more layered, uncomfortable relationship dynamics. The film’s score comes from Devonté Hynes, with the soundtrack released digitally through A24 Music alongside the film’s June 26 debut.

With the wide release now just a day away, ‘The Invite’ is positioning itself as one of the summer’s more distinctive counterprogramming options against the usual wave of blockbusters dominating multiplexes. Given the strength of its festival buzz and the star power packed into its small but mighty cast, the film appears well-positioned to find its audience as it expands into theaters nationwide.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!