Overview
- Neon released the first teaser on Tuesday and confirmed the film will premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, open in limited release on December 25, and expand nationwide in January.
- The teaser frames the story in dark, cautionary terms with footage of Garfield’s Sam Altman walking through an OpenAI compound and voiceover lines about opening “Pandora’s box.”
- Andrew Garfield said he never met Sam Altman, studied scripts, transcripts and interviews for the role, and told interviewers he is “really scared” about potential backlash to his portrayal.
- Amazon MGM dropped the nearly finished film in June after Amazon announced a reported $50 billion partnership with OpenAI, a timing that prompted renewed questions about the company’s decision; industry reports also cite a roughly $40 million budget, reported reshoots, and multiple distributors passing before Neon stepped in.
- The film’s starry cast and director, plus Neon’s festival and Christmas-Day release strategy, position Artificial as an awards-season contender and a public flashpoint over how Hollywood depicts powerful AI leaders.