THE INVITE Trailer: Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde’s Dinner Party From Hell Gets Wild With Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz
A24 released the trailer for The Invite, and it looks like one of those deliciously awkward, slow-burn social disasters that spirals into something way messier than anyone expects.
Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film pairs an incredible cast including Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz, and it’s already coming in hot after making serious noise at Sundance.
The story centers on Joe and Angela, a married couple barely holding things together. Hoping to shake things up, they invite their mysterious upstairs neighbors over for dinner. That simple setup quickly unravels into something far more chaotic.
The official logline teases exactly that tension: “When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?”
The trailer leans into that uneasy mix of humor and discomfort, teasing sharp dialogue, shifting power dynamics, and the kind of escalating tension that makes you squirm and laugh at the same time. It’s got that signature A24 energy, where you’re never quite sure where things are headed but you know it’s going to get weird.
Written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film blends drama and comedy that clearly struck a chord at Sundance earlier this year. The debut screening kicked off a full-on bidding war between major players like Focus Features, Neon, Netflix, Apple, Searchlight, and Black Bear.
Norton had high praise for Wilde’s juggling act as both director and performer, saying, “Seth and I both have directed films that we’ve been acting in as well. Inevitably, you come to moments where you say, ‘This was a terrible decision.’ It’s hard for me to overstate the grace and wisdom with which Olivia gave that performance and directed us.”
This marks Wilde’s third directing effort following Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling, and it looks like she’s continuing to explore messy relationships and complicated people, just in a more intimate and potentially explosive setting.
She’s also staying busy on the acting side with I Want Your Sex, an erotic thriller from Gregg Araki that also premiered at Sundance.
A24 is planning a limited theatrical release for The Invite on June 26, and it looks like this is going to be one of those films where the less you know going in, the better. Just maybe don’t accept any dinner invitations from new neighbors anytime soon.