Olivia Wilde’s A24 comedy The Invite began streaming on HBO Max on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. The Invite HBO Max release caps a theatrical run in which the film grossed about $61 million worldwide against a production budget of less than $15 million. Wilde both directed the film and stars in it, appearing alongside Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz.
The film follows a married couple who invite their free-spirited neighbors to a dinner party that spirals out of control. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2026, where it sparked a bidding war that A24 won. Bidding wars are a fixture of the festival, where distributors compete for premiere titles they expect to find an audience, and The Invite drew enough interest to set off a contest before A24 secured it. USA Today reported the streaming debut, with additional coverage from Mandatory, ScreenRant, FandomWire and Decider.
The Invite HBO Max release details
The comedy is now available to all HBO Max subscribers. The Invite HBO Max arrival brings the film to streaming after a theatrical run that ended with about $61 million in worldwide ticket sales, roughly four times what it cost to make. The film’s streaming debut follows the usual path for a theatrical release, moving from cinemas to a subscription platform once its box office run has played out.
A24 picked up the film after its Sundance premiere, outbidding other buyers at the 2026 festival. The studio then gave it a theatrical release, and the low-budget comedy played its way to $61 million worldwide. That $61 million figure is a worldwide total, combining domestic and international ticket sales, and The Invite HBO Max release is the film’s streaming debut following the theatrical run.
The move to streaming opens the film to viewers who did not catch it during its time in theaters. Anyone with an HBO Max subscription can now watch it as part of the service, and the film’s strong reviews give latecomers a reason to seek it out.
The story behind the dinner party
The cast is led by Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz, and the story stays with the married couple and their neighbors as the dinner party spirals out of control. Wilde directed the film in addition to starring in it, a dual role that puts her at the center of the production on screen and behind the camera.
The screenplay is by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, who adapted the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs for English-language audiences. Remaking a recent foreign-language film for a new audience is a familiar Hollywood practice, and the 2020 original gave the writers a completed story to work from. Audiences watching The Invite HBO Max stream are seeing Wilde’s version of that story.
Why The Invite HBO Max debut matters
The Invite HBO Max debut puts a genuine box office success story in front of streaming audiences. The film grossed about $61 million worldwide on a production budget of less than $15 million, which means it earned roughly four times what it cost to produce.
That multiple helps explain the Sundance bidding war. A24 won the rights after the film’s festival premiere, released it in theaters, and turned the low-budget comedy into a $61 million earner. For a comedy made for less than $15 million, that total is a strong result. The Invite HBO Max launch extends the run to streaming, where a new audience can find it.
Critical reception on Rotten Tomatoes
The Invite holds a 96% critics score and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. With both scores behind it, The Invite HBO Max stream shows critics and audiences largely agreed on the film.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics score reflects the share of reviewed critics who recommended the film, while the audience score reflects ratings from general viewers. A 96% mark from critics means nearly every review counted was positive, and the 89% audience score shows viewers were nearly as enthusiastic. The Invite HBO Max release is available to stream now on the service.