This part of the 2026 movie calendar is all about Big Tech. With Aaron Sorkin’s pseudo-sequel “The Social Reckoning” opening this weekend and Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI satire “Artificial” premiering at the New York Film Festival, cinephiles have plenty to like in Silicon Valley. And if early reactions to “Artificial” are any indicator, Guadagnino’s film about Sam Altman promises to be extremely hilarious and honestly terrifying.
In “Artificial,” Andrew Garfield plays OpenAI founder Altman, who was ousted from his company in 2023 over disagreements with a board that included Elon Musk before regaining control five days later. The film was written by Simon Rich, with David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford and Jennifer Fox serving as producers, with Rich and Guadagnino.
“Artificial” was originally greenlit by Amazon MGM, which previously financed Guadagnino’s “Challenges” and “After the Hunt.” But Amazon scrapped the completed film earlier this year, shortly after the company struck a $50 billion deal with OpenAI to provide web services through its AWS division. Neon later acquired the rights to the film and are planning a Christmas release and Oscar campaign.
The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on Monday, October 5. Initial reactions from attendees have been positive, with many highlighting the film’s bitterly satirical tone. It appears many critics were as horrified by the film’s depiction of our AI-dominated future as they were entertained by its jokes — but it seems certain that “Artificial” will be one of the most talked-about movies of the fall season.
Neon will release “Artificial” in theaters on Friday, December 25. Keep reading to know about the initial social media reactions to the film.