Olivia Wilde’s New Film ‘The Invite’ Sparks a Studio Bidding War

Olivia Wilde’s latest film out of the Sundance Film Festival has sparked a fierce bidding war. While best known for starring in hit television series like House and movies like Tron: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens, Wilde started to make a name for herself as a director following the critical acclaim from her directorial debut feature film, Booksmart. However, her sophomore film, Don’t Worry Darling, received negative critical reaction and was largely overshadowed by behind-the-scenes conflict with the film’s star, Florence Pugh, as well as Wilde’s relationship with actor and singer Harry Styles.

Wilde’s third feature film, The Invite, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 24, 2026, and has drawn significant interest from studios looking to acquire distribution rights. According to Deadline, the comedy, which stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz, has sparked a major bidding war among A24, Neon, Focus Features, Black Bear, Searchlight Pictures, and Netflix. Deadline reports that the offers already exceed $10 million.

Could ‘The Invite’ Be One of the Biggest Movies in Sundance History?

Olivia Wilde Seth Rogen Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz in The Invite

Sundance

The Invite is a remake of the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs. Olivia Wilde directs and stars in the film with a screenplay by Celeste and Jesse Forever screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The movie stars Wilde and Seth Rogen as a couple whose marriage is on the rocks inviting the sexually liberated couple from upstairs (played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) to join them for dinner. The movie reportedly drew huge laughs at its Sundance premiere and currently sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 reviews at the time of this writing.

Currently, the biggest acquisition at Sundance was in 2020, when Hulu and Neon paid $17.5 million for the distribution rights to Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, beating the previous record holder, 2016’s The Birth of a Nation, by .69 cents. At $10 million, The Invite is still a long way from breaking the record, but depending on how intense the bidding gets, the film could climb up there. The Invite is one of two big titles Olivia Wilde is associated with at Sundance in 2026. In addition to directing and starring in The Invite, she also stars in Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, also featuring Cooper Hoffman, Chase Sui Wonders, Mason Gooding, Daveed Diggs, and Charlie XCX.

Even though Netflix likely has the deepest pockets, Wilde and her team are likely hoping for a buyer who can guarantee them a theatrical release. In the late 2000s, Searchlight Pictures had a good track record of turning Sundance comedies like Little Miss Sunshine and (500) Days of Summer into mainstream blockbuster hits. Though A24 and Neon have become go-to destinations for filmmakers, the studios’ brands come with a certain amount of pedigree. It certainly sounds like The Invite has the potential of a mainstream comedy crossover on their hands, and for Wilde, another Booksmart instead of a Don’t Worry Darling.