Wicker Sets Oct. 23 Release After Sundance Standing Ovation
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- Black Bear set an Oct. 23 limited theatrical release for "Wicker," with a nationwide expansion the following week of Oct. 30, and will also handle international sales plus direct releases in the UK and Canada via its subsidiary Elevation Pictures.
- "Wicker" premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it received strong reviews and a standing ovation.
- "Wicker" stars Olivia Colman as an ostracized fisherwoman who commissions a husband from local basketmaker Peter Dinklage, with Alexander Skarsgård playing the wicker husband whose presence upends village life, and Elizabeth Debicki rounding out the cast.
- Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer created and directed "Wicker," adapted from Ursula Wills' short story "The Wicker Husband" and described as "an audacious comedic fable about sex, marriage, and the absurdities of social convention."
- "Wicker" is financed by Tango and Topic Studios, with producers including Tim Headington, Lia Buman, Ryan Heller, and Michael Bloom, alongside South of the River's Colman, Ed Sinclair, and Tom Carver, and Votiv's Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel, who originated development.
- The film features cinematography by Lol Crawley ("The Brutalist"), production design by Renátó Cseh ("Poor Things"), a score by Anna Meredith ("Eighth Grade"), and design work from Wētā Workshop ("Avatar," "The Lord of the Rings").
- "Wicker" joins Black Bear's slate alongside "Tuner" and "The Rivals of Amziah King," with distribution president Benjamin Kramer calling it "bold, entertaining, and totally unlike anything else."
Why it matters: Black Bear is betting on a Sundance sensation to anchor its fall slate, giving "Wicker" — a high-concept folkloric comedy with four A-list leads — a platform release starting Oct. 23 before going wide, a strategy designed to build word-of-mouth after its festival buzz rather than chase an opening weekend against tentpoles.
