Olivia Wilde Moved to Tears After Standing Ovation for The Invite at Sundance

According to People, Olivia Wilde directed and starred in The Invite, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, and debuted to rave reviews and a standing ovation that left her wiping away tears onstage.

Wilde was joined on the red carpet and at a post‑screening Q&A by costars Seth Rogen and Edward Norton, and festival director Kim Yutani told her, "The standing ovation was very well deserved." Co‑written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the film centers on two couples at a dinner party — Wilde and Rogen hosting Penélope Cruz and Norton — and Sundance described it as a "fiercely energized chamber dramedy" about the unearthing of long‑tenured grievances, insecurities and codependencies. Critics praised the film: Indiewire wrote, "Accept this invite, and fast," Variety called it "marvelously entertaining," and The Hollywood Reporter said the movie should "silence the doubters."

The Invite is Wilde's first feature‑length premiere at the festival. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah; this edition is the last to be held there before a move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027 and the first after the passing of founder Robert Redford. Wilde also appears in another Sundance premiere this year, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex.

Key Topics

Culture, Olivia Wilde, The Invite, Sundance Film Festival, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton