A24’s ‘The Invite’ Just Dropped a New Trailer and Its 91% Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Making the Case for Film of the Summer
Adult comedies rarely get this kind of runway anymore. When Olivia Wilde’s latest directorial effort premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, it did not sneak in quietly. It arrived with a standing ovation, a fierce multi-studio bidding war, and the kind of industry excitement that signals something genuinely special is on the way. ‘The Invite’ hits theaters in limited release on June 26, and its new trailer is making it very clear this is one of the summer’s most anticipated releases.
‘The Invite’ marks Wilde’s third time behind the camera, following ‘Booksmart’ in 2019 and ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ in 2023. This time, she also steps in front of the lens, starring opposite Seth Rogen as a couple whose marriage has quietly unraveled. The screenplay was co-written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, and the film is a remake of the Spanish comedy ‘The People Upstairs.’ The combination of that pedigree, a powerhouse cast, and A24 backing it all makes this feel like the kind of film that does not come around often.
The new trailer, which has been making waves across social media, fleshes out the story in delicious detail. Joe and Angela are a married couple on thin ice who invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors over for a dinner party, and when the night spirals into unexpected places, they are forced to confront whether they have reignited the spark or simply lit the match that burns it all down. PÃna and Hawk, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, come over with a specific activity in mind, and what follows is pure chaos. The trailer wisely keeps the full extent of that chaos vague, which only makes it more tantalizing.
Rotten Tomatoes flagged the film’s score alongside the new trailer drop, and that number is a significant part of the story. ‘The Invite’ scored a 91% fresh rating from reviews coming out of its Sundance premiere. Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised it as a “bravura dinner-party dramedy” that is like ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ reimagined as vintage Woody Allen. IndieWire gave it a B+, while The Guardian awarded it four stars. For a relationship comedy in the current marketplace, those marks carry real weight.
The studio pursuit of the film was equally dramatic. A24 won the North American rights in a highly competitive eight-figure deal after a 72-hour marathon bidding battle, with bids starting at ten million dollars and climbing steadily upward. Netflix, Neon, Apple, Searchlight, and new distributor Black Bear were all initially in the mix before backing out as offers escalated and it became clear Wilde wanted a traditional theatrical release. That insistence on a theatrical run feels significant, and A24 was clearly the right partner for it.
During an interview with IndieWire at the festival, Norton described the rehearsal process as less of a traditional rehearsal and more of an infusion, with Wilde drawing out from each of the four actors who their characters would specifically be. He noted it was very unusual to be invited to create the chemistry of your characters, adding that such an approach would be some directors’ nightmare. The result, by most accounts, is a film that crackles with exactly that kind of lived-in, unpredictable energy.
A24’s positioning of ‘The Invite’ in the pre-July 4 corridor is a calculated move, as late June has increasingly become fertile ground for counterprogramming, particularly for adult-skewing comedies that can thrive on word of mouth. If the film delivers on the promise of that Sundance reception, it could be the sleeper hit of the season. Whether you are rooting for the marriage or the chaos, share your thoughts in the comments on what you think Joe and Angela’s night with the neighbors is really going to unleash.
