The Gallerist is a 2026 American dark comedy thriller film directed by Cathy Yan and starring Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026, and is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on December 4, 2026, by Roadside Attractions and Vertical.
Contents
Premise
Preparing for her Art Basel premiere, gallerist Polina Polinski hosts an early look for art influencer Dalton Hardberry to review emerging artist Stella Burgess. Dalton rains hate on Polina, Stella, and the entire gallery until he encounters the centerpiece — a large-scale sculpture entitled "The Emasculator". The "hyperrealist work" goes viral, attracting legendary dealer Marianne Gorman, who revs up the ruthless machine of the art world.
Cast
Natalie Portman as Polina Polinski, an uptight Miami gallerist and recent divorcée
Jenna Ortega as Kiki Gorman, Polina's assistant
Sterling K. Brown as Tom, a canned tuna tycoon and Polina's ex-husband
Zach Galifianakis as Dalton Hardberry, a social media influencer
Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Stella Burgess, an up-and-coming artist
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marianne Gorman, an art curator and Kiki's aunt
Daniel Brühl as a wannabe art collector
Charli XCX as Alex, Dalton's girlfriend
Youssef Kerkour as Doug
Ash Sarohia
Production
In October 2024, Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega were set to star in The Gallerist, co-written and directed by Cathy Yan. In December, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Daniel Brühl, Charli XCX, and Catherine Zeta-Jones joined the cast. The film was financed by MRC.
Principal photography began on December 18, 2024 and wrapped on February 6, 2025.
Release
The Gallerist premiered at the Eccles Theater as part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026. In August 2026, Roadside Attractions and Vertical acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, scheduling it for a theatrical release on December 4.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 40 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Vanity Fair described it as playful satire. The Hollywood Reporter called the film "clumsy and inert on screen". Variety described it as "intermittently clever". The Guardian called it "a major stumble".
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