Comedy · Drama · English
The Invite (2026) Review: Watch & Download Online
★ 8.4 / 10
| Director | Olivia Wilde |
|---|---|
| Cast | Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton |
| Runtime | 1h 47m |
| Released | 26 June 2026 (limited); 10 July 2026 (wide) |
| Music | Devonté Hynes |
| Box office | $62.0 million |
Watch the official trailer
Synopsis (spoiler-free)
Joe and Angela, a long-married San Francisco couple whose relationship has gone cold, invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbours — free-spirited Piña and Hawk — over for dinner. Over one long, increasingly uninhibited evening in a single apartment, polite conversation gives way to uncomfortable truths about marriage, intimacy and resentment.
Our detailed review
Story — 8.5/10
An English-language remake of Cesc Gay's Spanish film The People Upstairs, adapted by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, The Invite traps its story in a single San Francisco apartment — and that trap is the point. Joe and Angela's marriage has gone cold; Piña and Hawk arrive like a weather system. What follows is a masterclass in escalation: polite talk curdles into confession, confession into insult, insult into something stranger and more honest. The film's great trick is that every revelation feels both shocking and inevitable.
Acting — 8.5/10
Four actors carry the whole film, and all four are exceptional. Seth Rogen plays Joe's wounded pride with a sadness he rarely gets to show; Olivia Wilde is superb as Angela, a former artist redesigning her apartment and her marriage at the same time. Penélope Cruz is luminous and dangerous as Piña, and Edward Norton is slyly hilarious as Hawk. The quartet plays like a chamber ensemble — each performer listening, reacting, and waiting for the exact wrong moment to strike.
Direction — 8.5/10
Wilde directs with crisp, meticulous control: off-centre reflections in mirrors and window panes, grainy film stock, fast-paced editing, and a camera that treats the apartment as both a prison and a stage. The film plays like a piece of theatre that learned how to be cinema — Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for the 2020s, but funnier and less cruel. Her best choice is trusting the script and the actors: there is nowhere to hide, and nobody tries to.
Music — 8.0/10
Devonté Hynes — Blood Orange — gives the film its fifth voice: a cello score that is sometimes anxious, often funny, and always present in the room. The music moves between the characters' emotional states like another guest at the table, building unease in the silences between lines. Even a nine-second cue, 'You Do Have Sex, Right?', lands as a joke in itself. It is one of the year's best scores, and the rare one you notice without resenting.
What works
- Four superb performances in a perfectly balanced quartet.
- A script that escalates from polite dinner to total honesty without a false step.
- Wilde's sharpest direction — theatrical, cinematic, and totally controlled.
- Devonté Hynes' cello score, the film's secret fifth character.
What doesn't work
- The single-location setup will not suit viewers who want spectacle.
- A few of the neighbours' revelations overstay their welcome.
- The score is occasionally loud enough to drown dialogue.
- At its core it is a film about unhappy rich people — mileage may vary.
Final verdict — 8.4/10
A magnetic, bitingly hilarious game of marital Jenga — Wilde's best film yet. Four actors, one room, zero mercy.
Rating breakdown
Where to Watch
Streams on HBO Max in the US (since 23 October 2026) and on Zee5 in India (since 23 October 2026). Also available to rent or buy on digital stores since 11 August 2026.
You can also download it in the official HBO Max app on your phone or tablet to watch offline legally — see our guide on how to download movies legally.
Box Office
| Budget | $15 million |
|---|---|
| Opening day | Not reported separately (limited opening: $379,104 in 7 theatres) |
| Opening weekend | $5.7 million (wide expansion, 10 July 2026) |
| Worldwide total | $62.0 million |
| Verdict | Hit |
A genuine arthouse hit: against a $15 million budget it earned $62.0 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo), about four times its cost, and then became the No. 1 most-watched movie on HBO Max within a day of its streaming debut, holding the spot a week later. Critics adored it: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82 on Metacritic.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Invite worth watching?
Yes — it is one of the year's best-reviewed films (96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82 on Metacritic) and the funniest movie of the year by many accounts. Our rating is 8.4/10.
Is The Invite a remake?
Yes — it is an English-language remake of Cesc Gay's 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs (Sentimental), adapted by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.
Is The Invite suitable for kids?
No — this is an adult comedy-drama about marriage and intimacy, with sexual themes and frank language throughout.
How much did The Invite earn at the box office?
About $62.0 million worldwide against a $15 million budget — a clear hit, and then the No. 1 movie on HBO Max (Box Office Mojo).
Where can I watch The Invite (2026) online?
The Invite streams on HBO Max in the US and on Zee5 in India, both since 23 October 2026. It is also available to rent or buy on digital stores.
Can I download The Invite (2026) legally?
Yes — you can download it inside the official HBO Max app on your phone or tablet to watch offline legally with a subscription.
Hindi FAQs
The Invite movie kaisi hai?
The Invite saal ki sab se funny aur smart filmon mein se ek hai — chaar actors, aik dinner party, aur zabardast script. Hamari rating 8.4/10 hai.
The Invite kahan dekh sakte hain?
The Invite US mein HBO Max aur India mein Zee5 par stream ho rahi hai (23 October 2026 se). Digital rent/buy bhi available hai.
The Invite ne kitna kamaya?
The Invite ne duniya bhar mein $62 million kamaye, jabke iska budget $15 million tha — aik clear Hit.
The Invite download karke dekh sakte hain?
Ji haan — HBO Max ki official app mein download karke offline dekh sakte hain, legally.