A24's Club Kid, Jordan Firstman's directorial debut, opens in select cities
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The gist
A24's Club Kid, written by, directed by and starring Jordan Firstman, opens in select cities after selling for $17 million at Cannes.
The queer father-son comedy-drama now enters a crowded awards season as a Globes drama entry.
Background
Club Kid is the feature directorial debut of Jordan Firstman, who also wrote and stars as club promoter Peter; he previously appeared on shows including Search Party and English Teacher. The film follows Peter and his 10-year-old son Arlo, played by newcomer Reggie Absolom, on a healing journey set against LGBTQ+ life, with Cara Delevingne as Peter's business partner who fires him. A24 acquired it after its Cannes premiere for $17 million, the biggest sale of the festival, and it has since played Telluride, Toronto, New York and other festivals. Firstman has cited 1970s films like An Unmarried Woman and Kramer vs. Kramer as key inspirations.
How it unfolded
- May 2026Club Kid premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, drawing a seven-minute standing ovation and an overnight bidding war among distributors.
- Sep 7, 2026A Telluride Film Festival review of the film was published.
- Sep 22, 2026SFFILM announced a 35mm pre-release screening at San Francisco's Castro Theatre for Monday, November 2, at 7:00 pm.
- Sep 25, 2026Vanity Fair reported that the film's cast is taking awards season by storm.
- Oct 29, 2026The Ivy Film Festival hosted an early screening at the Avon Cinema; a KUOW review was published the same day.
- Oct 31, 2026The New Yorker profiled the film's three party girls.
- Nov 2, 2026A24 submitted Club Kid for Golden Globes consideration as a drama rather than a musical/comedy, per The Hollywood Reporter.
- Nov 4, 2026Variety published an interview with Firstman and the Los Angeles Times published its review.
- Nov 6, 2026The film begins its platform theatrical release in select cities.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- SFFILM programming director Jessie Fairbanks called the film an exhilarating introduction to Firstman as a filmmaker, with a world that feels completely specific and wonderfully alive.
- Caution
- The Brown Daily Herald review said character development can feel flat or rushed at times.
- Support
- The Los Angeles Times review said some issues nag a bit, but only a little, because the chemistry between Firstman and Absolom is so real and tender.
- Expert
- Firstman told Variety he insisted on a gay actor for an earlier project, saying he was a little bit threatening, like, 'You guys don't want to look homophobic.'
Still unverified
Variety noted that conservative critics could latch onto Club Kid over its depiction of a child drawn into a druggy New York underbelly.