Is Olivia Wilde poised for a comeback? Director bounces back from Don't Worry Darling furore with rave reviews and $10M bidding war for The Invite - as she's moved to tears by a standing ovation at Sundance Film Festival

Olivia Wilde was seen wiping away her tears on stage as her new movie The Invite received a standing ovation at Sundance Film Festival on Sunday.

Her new marital comedy, starring herself, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton, has proven to be a hit, having sparked a fierce 72-hour, $10million (£7.2million) bidding war which resulted in A24 winning against Warner Bros and Focus Features.

The director, 41, has received rave reviews for new movie, with fans lavishing praise on her remarkable return to directorial duties. 

Her tears at Sundance reflect her long-awaited comeback after her psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, was encompassed with rumours of feuds and fall outs.

Despite soaring to the top of the box office, the 2022 movie was overshadowed by a feud between Olivia and Florence, rumours of pay disputes, and allegations that Olivia's romance with singer Harry made crew members 'uncomfortable'.

Now stealing back all her glory following the Don't Worry Darling furore, Olivia's movie has already earned an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Invite centers on a couple (Olivia and Seth) whose relationship is on the brink of a collapse have an ill-timed dinner party with their enigmatic neighbours (Edward and Penelope), whose relationship seems to have the passion and communication that the others are missing.

Moved to tears by the rapturous applause at Sundance, Olivia told Deadline: 'It was the best night of my life, it was so fun. 

'To sit and laugh with that audience was just so wonderful, so full of joy, I was just levitating in my seat.

'The intention was to approach it like a play. To have the opportunity to workshop it together, to live in the characters a bit, and have some time to rehearse... To make it feel authentic and natural.'

Fans expressed their love for the movie on X, writing: 'Good for her. Glad to see her back with another excellent movie', 

'Love seeing Olivia Wilde get such a heartfelt moment with a standing ovation for The Invite. It's exciting to hear how the film blends sharp humor with real emotional depth, especially with such a bold take on relationships. Glad to see her back with another excellent movie',

'Captured Olivia Wilde basking in the glow of a standing ovation for THE INVITE. Well deserved!', 'This film is EXCELLENT!',

'I loved THE INVITE. It's a brilliant screenplay and a wonderful acting quartet that's as funny as it is sad and bittersweet about relationships and marriage. And the crazy impressive part is how that sadness fuels the laughter. Olivia Wilde is devastating on camera and empathetic behind the camera. Seth Rogen is such an incredible acting partner. Guys, this one rocks'.

A24 won the multi-party bidding war for The Invite after a 72-hour competitive battle with bids that climbed above $10million. Previous bidders on the movie included Netflix, Neon, Searchlight and Sony. 

But her road to success hasn't always been plain sailing.

Olivia, who made her directorial debut with the comedy Booksmart in 2019, received backlash for the alleged conflict with Florence and her relationship with Harry during filming of Don't Worry Darling.

Florence played Harry's on screen wife Alice Chambers in the psychological thriller which was directed by Olivia. 

Sources at the time claimed Olivia and Florence allegedly got into a 'screaming match' with one another during filming, as the director would often disappear with her boyfriend Harry.

Reports also suggest Florence was upset with Olivia for hooking up with Harry during production while still married to Jason Sudeikis - before they split in November 2021. 

The apparent feud intensified when Olivia referred to Florence as 'Miss Flo' and said she needed a 'wake-up call' during the rehearsal period of the movie, in a video to actor Shia LaBeouf that was leaked. 

As well as texts, Shia provided Variety with a video that Olivia allegedly sent him on August 19th 2020, two days after he is said to have quit.

In the video Olivia is heard saying she is 'not ready to give up on this yet,' as she appears to beg the actor to reconsider. Olivia is then said to allude to tension between Shia and lead star Florence.

'I feel like I'm not ready to give up on this yet, and I too am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,' Olivia allegedly says in the video.

'You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo [Florence Pugh], and I want to know if you're open to giving this a shot with me, with us.'

Olivia goes on: 'If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?'

Reports also emerged that Harry - who had only starred in one movie, Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk in 2017, before he was cast in Don't Worry Darling - was paid three times more than his Oscar-nominated co-star Florence. 

Showbiz Galore claimed the the Midsomer star was paid $700,000 for the role, while the Watermelon Sugar star was given $2.5million, but Olivia has claimed this was not the case.

She told Variety: 'There has been a lot out there that I largely don't pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me.

'I'm a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it's something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director. There is absolutely no validity to those claims.'

Despite the continued talk of all the drama on set, Don’t Worry Darling’s cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, told Hollywood Reporter that it was all a bunch of bologna.

'When I hear that there are rumors of acrimony on the set, I reject it. It wasn’t apparent at all, to be honest,' he claimed.

'From my standpoint, the stories are completely untrue when it comes to being on-set. I can’t speak to postproduction at all.

'Whatever happened, it happened way after I left... I was never witness to anything. And I didn’t feel anything. You know, you get a feeling that there might be something going on, and I didn’t feel anything.'

In addition, a total of 40 individuals who worked on the movie, including producer Miri Yoon, came forward to release a joint statement obtained by DailyMail.com after the movie came out, in an attempt to 'correct' the 'absurd' and 'completely false' claims that were made about the set.

'As a crew, we've avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we're so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous "sources" quoted in a recent article,' the statement began.

'Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of are completely false. Olivia is an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production.

'She ran this set with class and respect for everyone involved. There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast.'

Florence praised the flick after its release in 2022, writing on Instagram, 'This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak COVID times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily - thank you.'

In an interview with Elle, Olivia also addressed their feud once again, while claiming that her 'life was torn to shreds' by the public as a result of all the scrutiny over the flick.

Although she did not address any of the scandals specifically during her interview, she slammed the number of 'untruths' about her life that have been shared in recent months, and compared all the talk surrounding the movie to being on 'a reality show.'

'It is shocking to see so many untruths about yourself traded as fact,' she told the publication. 

'Florence had a really wise comment that we didn’t sign up for a reality show, and I love that she put it that way, because it’s as though the general public feels that if you are making something that you’re selling to the public, you somehow have accepted that your life will be torn to shreds by a pack of wolves. 

No, that’s actually not part of the job description. Never was.'

Olivia is now in a happy relationship with Ellie Goulding's ex-husband Caspar Jopling after she split from Harry shortly after their film's release in November 2022.

It was claimed at the time that Olivia was 'disappointed' that her relationship with Harry did not work out after nearly two years of dating.

At the time, a source told People that the breakup was 'difficult' for her.

'They have had some issues, but Olivia thought they were gonna work through it all,' the insider explained. 'She is disappointed. It's just a tricky situation, though.'