A24 is aiming to fill a gap in the theatrical marketplace with its latest release, The Invite, a raucous comedy directed by and starring Olivia Wilde alongside Seth Rogen, Ed Norton, and Penelope Cruz. The film, which was acquired after a heated bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival, opens on seven screens in New York and Los Angeles, including premium large formats and 35mm presentations. Theaters include AMC Lincoln Square, Regal Union Square, and Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn in New York, and AMC Burbank and AMC Century City in Los Angeles. A modest expansion is planned for next week in a handful of top markets, with a nationwide rollout set for July 10, just in time for the summer box office surge.
The Invite is a remake of the Spanish film The People Upstairs by Cesc Gay, adapted by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. The plot follows two couples: Joe and Angela (Wilde and Rogen) are on the verge of breaking up when their upstairs neighbors (Norton and Cruz) arrive for a dinner party. What could go wrong does, in spectacularly uncomfortable and hilarious fashion. The film has been Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% score, with Deadline calling it “whip smart.” Comedies, when they work, can sustain long summer runs akin to 500 Days of Summer or Napoleon Dynamite. The genre has been underserved in theaters recently, and while the market is crowded with releases like The Odyssey landing July 17, A24 sees an opportunity in the weeks before and after. The studio is also riding high on the success of Backrooms (week 5) and The Death of Robin Hood (week 2), both in wide release.
Angelina Jolie returns to the big screen in Couture, a French drama directed by Alice Winocour. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and opens at 235 theaters via Vertical. Jolie plays Maxine, an American filmmaker in Paris during the frenzy of Fashion Week. Her path intersects with women of different ages and backgrounds, all fighting for control of their destinies, as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The film has received mixed reviews, but Jolie's performance is widely praised. Deadline’s Pete Hammond called it “a quietly touching performance, one played often without lots of dialogue but told delicately on her face and in her eyes.” Key locations include AMC Lincoln Square, Angelika Film Center, AMC Empire, and AMC Kip’s Bay in New York; AMC Century City, Laemmle Santa Monica, AMC Burbank, AMC Glendale, and Regal Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles; and TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.
Roadside Attractions debuts Lucky Strike, a WWII action thriller from director Rod Davis Lurie (The Last Castle, The Contender), on 772 screens. The film stars Scott Eastwood (The Outpost, Fury), Colin Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard), and Taylor John Smith (Where the Crawdads Sing). Based on research by producer Marc Frydman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lurie, Lucky Strike follows a soldier trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive of the war. The project reunites the team behind the 2019 war movie The Outpost.
Among the art house highlights is Romeria, by celebrated Spanish director Carla Simón (Alcarràs), which won the Golden Bear at Berlinale 2022. The film opens in New York at Film at Lincoln Center and Film Forum, with Simón doing Q&As throughout the weekend. It expands to Los Angeles on July 1, then to Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia on July 3. Romeria is an autobiographical tale following 18-year-old Marina (Llúcia Garcia) as she travels to the seaside town of Vigo in Galicia to uncover secrets about her deceased father. The film premiered in competition at Cannes, screened at TIFF, NYFF, and AFI Fest, and earned six Goya Award nominations and thirteen Gaudi Award nominations. It holds a 90% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Strand Releasing opens Drunken Noodles, the latest from Argentinian-born, New York–based filmmaker Lucio Castro. The film premiered at Cannes and runs exclusively at the IFC Center in New York, with Q&As from Castro on Friday and Saturday. The story follows a young art student (Laith Khalifeh) who arrives in New York City to apartment-sit for the summer and begins an internship at a gallery exhibiting an unconventional older artist. The film explores artistic and erotic encounters that blur reality. The cast also includes Joel Isaac, Ezriel Kornel, and Matthew Risch. The narrative was inspired by artist Sal Salandra, known for his homoerotic “thread scenes” embroidery.
Dark Sky Films brings the hipster horror CAMP to the IFC Center in New York, Vidiots in Los Angeles, and about twenty Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide. The film won the Next Wave Best Feature Award at Fantastic Fest and has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by 26-year-old Canadian filmmaker Avalon Fast, CAMP follows Emily, a young woman grappling with guilt after a tragedy, who takes a job at a Christian summer camp for troubled youth. There, she hears a whispering voice from the woods. Producers include Taylor Nodrick, with executive producers Paul Cadieux, Milan Chakraborty, Peter Kuplowsky, Michael Peterson, and Sanjay M. Sharma.
Suncatcher Productions releases Chase Joynt’s documentary State of Firsts, which chronicles Sarah McBride’s historic campaign to become the first transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress. The film won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Sonoma International Film Festival. It opens at the Angelika Film Center in New York and adds the Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles on July 2, with screenings in select markets through late July.
Another Cannes premiere is The Wave, directed by Oscar-winner Sebastian Lelio (Gloria, A Fantastic Woman). The film opens exclusively at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles via Wolfe Video. It tells the story of a music student whose testimony sparks a feminist uprising on her campus.
Brainstorm Media opens the rom-com 40 Dates And 40 Nights for weeklong runs at Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles and Santikos Conroe in Houston. Directed by Andy Delaney and written by Sarah “Howie” Howard, the film stars Bailee Madison, Joel Courtney, Annie Potts, and Jai Rodriguez. The plot follows Leah (Madison), who accepts her grandmother’s (Potts) challenge to go on 40 dates in 40 nights in exchange for a year of free rent.
Finally, Fathom Entertainment and Viz Media have packaged the first three episodes of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity for a limited big-screen run from June 25 to 29 at 942 U.S. theaters. The special presentation includes behind-the-scenes footage and an exclusive interview with creator Tite Kubo. Tickets are bundled with a production artwork sheet for $29.99.
Source:Deadline News