A24’s “The Drama” will be released on HBO Max on July 31st.
Written and directed by Christopher Borli, “The Drama” depicts the week leading up to the wedding of a soon-to-be-married couple, Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson). Their relationship quickly unravels when Emma reveals her deepest, darkest secret while having dinner with her friends Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamudouh Ati), which permanently and unexpectedly changes her relationship with Charlie.
The film’s marketing was controversial, with many viewers pointing out that Emma’s secret and the film’s subsequent shift from light to heavy feelings were completely off-topic. Although this twist was teased, its intensity was ultimately kept a secret. The campaign began with a Save the Date in the Boston Globe four months before its April 4 theatrical release and featured many notable moments, including a one-day wedding chapel in Las Vegas and an evolution of the film’s poster to reflect the progress of the film. Controversial or not, the film has grossed more than $130 million worldwide to date, largely due to the power and reach of A24’s marketing campaign.
This is Borli’s fourth time writing and directing a feature film, and his second time working with studio A24 on the 2023 project Dream Scenario. Pattinson has previously worked with the studio, appearing in The Rover (2014), Good Time (2017), High Life (2018), The Lighthouse (2019) and The Souvenir (2019). Later this year, Pattinson and Zendaya will appear on screen together twice more, between their roles in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 3.
