Actor and director Olivia Wilde has claimed that lucrative deals from streamers are tantamount to “bribes” to encourage film industry figures to forgo a cinema release.

Wilde, 42, directed and starred in The Invite, the acclaimed comedy about a couple who are navigating difficulties in their marriage, which are only made all the more clear when they invite their glamorous neighbours around for an impromptu dinner party.

She revealed how she fought for the movie, which also stars Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, to be screened in cinemas rather than going straight to a streaming platform.

It’s a decision that has paid off, with The Invite going on to pass the $40 million (almost £30 million) mark at the box office globally, holding its own against much bigger budget blockbusters such as The Odyssey and the latest Spider-Man movie.

“They bribe you to not take theatrical [release],” Wilde told the press at the Locarno Film Festival. “We have to fight for it.”

“It’s a bribe,” she added. “They pay you more. Not the filmmaker, no. The financiers will get a lot more money to go to streaming, and you can take that bribe and give that up if that’s where your priorities lie.

“But we were really lucky that our financier gave me the opportunity to make this decision, which is something I don’t take lightly. She could have very easily said, ‘no, we’re going to go with a much bigger offer.’”

“But I knew that she too felt this incredible reaction that happened at Sundance [film festival, where The Invite debuted], and that it was something worth investing in. We really believed that audiences deserve to discover this together.”

“I’m obviously really passionate about it but if I had been passionate about it alone, it wouldn’t have meant anything. I was passionate about it with a lot of support.”

The Invite is Wilde’s third feature film as a director, following 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling and 2019’s Booksmart.