Entertainment · Film · 4 hrs ago
Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’ wins strong reviews after Amazon dropped it
Luca Guadagnino’s film ‘Artificial’ has won strong reviews after Amazon MGM dropped it from its summer release plans.
The film features Andrew Garfield as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Yura Borisov as co-founder Ilya Sutskever.
It portrays the people and power struggles behind the development of artificial intelligence, including concerns about how the technology is controlled.
Neon acquired the film’s global rights after the split with Amazon MGM.
The movie premiered at the New York Film Festival and then screened at the London Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation.
Its positive reception has brought awards attention, including Oscar discussion around Garfield’s performance.
The story also reflects wider tensions between studios, performers and the technology companies investing in AI.
Luca Guadagnino’s film “Artificial” has received strong reviews after Amazon MGM dropped it from its release slate.
The film premiered at the New York Film Festival and later had its U.K. premiere at the London Film Festival.
Neon acquired global rights to the film after the split with Amazon MGM.
“Artificial” has a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score of Guadagnino’s career across 11 feature films.
Reviews praise Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Sam Altman and describe the film as a dark comedy about the people shaping artificial intelligence.
- Who
- Director Luca Guadagnino and cast members including Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov. Amazon MGM dropped the film, and Neon later acquired global rights.
- What
- Artificial,” a film about artificial intelligence and OpenAI chief Sam Altman, has earned strong reviews.
- When
- It premiered at the New York Film Festival a week before its London Film Festival premiere on Sunday. The articles were published on October 14, 2026.
- Where
- The premieres were at the New York Film Festival and London’s Royal Festival Hall.
- Why
- The reviews and audience response have challenged claims that the film was not suitable for a theatrical release.
Amazon MGM
Supporters of releasing “Artificial
Release decision
Amazon MGM
Amazon MGM said the film would be better served by a different studio.
Supporters of releasing “Artificial
Reviewers and audiences have responded strongly to the film, supporting its release.
The film’s theatrical prospects
Amazon MGM
Anonymous sources cited in a July report said it was only worthy of streaming; a New York magazine article said it lacked theater-worthy criteria.
Supporters of releasing “Artificial
Critics praised the film, and it holds a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Amazon MGM dropped “Artificial” from its summer slate.
Artificial” had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival.
New York magazine published an article citing people close to the project who said the film lacked theater-worthy criteria.
Guadagnino and cast members attended the film’s U.K. premiere at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Neon rescued the film with a global rights deal.
- Director
- Luca Guadagnino
- Cast members named
- Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov
- Rotten Tomatoes rating
- 96% Fresh
- Career record
- Highest score for Guadagnino across 11 feature film releases
- New York premiere
- New York Film Festival
- U.K. premiere
- Royal Festival Hall, London
2 sources
What people are saying
brilliant but playful docudrama, meticulously true to history
We believe that ‘Artificial’ will be better served if it were released by a different studio.
A reaction this strong just shows you, every studio pretending the film wasn’t releasable is just conflicted out by their own investments in AI.