Olivia Wilde's new film hits Telegram in pirated copy

Olivia Wilde's new film opens in cinemas and is already circulating on Telegram

This Thursday, an A24 film that critics had already hailed as a success hits Spanish cinemas. The same day, the movie has been circulating subtitled on Telegram for hours, or even days. It is not alone: the new film by Sorogoyen starring Bardem also lands in theatres under an identical shadow.

The plot, pure filmed theatre, trinc Joe and Angela, a couple stuck in a routine who discover that their neighbours, Kayla and Shane, host weekly get-togethers. A24, the studio that turned elevated pavor into a cult object, here goes for awkward comedy and clever dialogue. The good reviews, however, run into a scepticism that comes not from watching the film but from the cast: the presence of Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz or Olivia Wilde triggers an almost automatic rejection among audiences who dismiss them for reasons that have nothing to do with cinema.

The online conversation reduces it to an ideological matter: some call it «proge» before even seeing it, while others reply with irony that superhero movies are more realistic. The result is a premiere split in two: the theatres on one side, Telegram on the other. And an audience that prefers to have an opinion rather than buy a ticket.

The unsettling fact: in the middle of the war against piracy, on the very day of the official release the subtitled version is already within anyone's reach. Endgame, they joked, is still more realistic. The box office will tell who actually watches it.