Olivia Wilde Calls Netflix’s $20M ‘The Invite’ Offer a “Bribe” to Skip Theaters

Back in January, at the Sundance Film Festival, a bidding war had emerged over Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” which screened to glowing reactions at the Eccles Theater. A24, Netflix, Searchlight, Focus Features, and NEON were among the studios in the mix.

A24 emerged victorious in what was a heated, multi-studio bidding showdown for “The Invite.” After an intense three-day round of negotiations, the company secured the film in a deal reportedly in the $12M range. Wilde was pushing for a full theatrical rollout, which instantly prompted Netflix to up its bidding to $20M, but she refused.

Wilde now has some choice words about the financial incentives pushing filmmakers away from theatrical releases.

Speaking to the press at Locarno ahead of a screening of “The Invite,” and without mentioning Netflix, though it was clear that’s who she was referring to, Wilde called streamers’ offers a “bribe.” She explained that financiers can make more money by sending films straight to streaming, creating an obvious incentive to skip cinemas.

“They pay you more. They bribe you to not take theatrical.” Wilde said. “Not the filmmaker, no; the financiers will get a lot more money to go to streaming.”

Wilde said she was lucky her financier, Annapurna, gave her the freedom to push for a theatrical release, opting not to take the extra money, the “bribe,” and praising A24 for continuing to back the theatrical model.

Regardless, it was money well spent for A24. As it stands, “The Invite” is an Oscar contender, at the very least for Adapted Screenplay, and if just a couple of high-profile films disappoint this fall, then it could contend for Best Picture, and maybe even the acting categories.

“The Invite,” starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton, tackles a married couple — played by Wilde and Seth Rogen — who invite their neighbors over — Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton — igniting an evening full of unexpected twists and turns that reveal deeply repressed emotions and unexplored sexuality.

The film is set to play Locarno’s famous outdoor theater, Piazza Grande, Saturday night, where the 8,000-seat screening is already sold out.

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