A24 has acquired worldwide rights to Club Kid, Jordan Firstman’s directorial debut, after a fierce bidding war at the Cannes Film Festival drove the deal past the eight-figure mark. The studio swooped on the film following a highly competitive bidding process that attracted multiple studio suitors.
Firstman, the 34-year-old American performer known for aggressively online comedy and viral provocations, presented the film in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 festival — and the response was immediate. The film drew rave responses from audiences and critics alike and was the talk of both the festival and the market over its opening weekend. At the premiere, lead actress Cara Delevingne teared up during a seven-minute standing ovation while Firstman hoisted young costar Reggie Absolom onto his shoulders and started a chant in his honor.
Written and directed by Firstman, who also stars, the film follows Peter Green, a chaotic New York party promoter whose life revolves around drugs and nightlife excess. Set partly in Brooklyn 2016, the story pivots when a ten-year-old boy named Arlo — conceived during a drug-fueled encounter — arrives from London and upends everything.
Critics had expected something arch and hedonistic from the comedian, whose social media brand traffics in queer-coded humor and provocative irony. Instead, Club Kid delivers a drastic tonal about-face that left many reviewers genuinely moved. Variety called it “a breakout crowdpleaser” that invites audiences to “come for the bitchy humor promised by the title and stay for the unabashed sweetness.” IndieWire awarded the film an A-minus, arguing it has real potential to break out beyond its seemingly niche scope, while The Film Stage praised its fluid opening sequence as reminiscent of Goodfellas, calling Firstman’s work the arrival of a natural filmmaker rather than a dilettante.
The film also carries a pointed political edge: in a custody hearing scene, a judge cites the unconventional nature of Peter’s queer community as grounds for concern, and the film positions itself squarely in rebuttal.
The film was lensed on 35mm by cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra, who recently won an Emmy for his work on The Studio, and produced by Academy Award-winner Alex Coco (Anora) alongside Galen Core, Topic Studios’ Ryan Heller, and Michael Bloom. Topic Studios financed the picture with Stay Gold as co-financier.
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Competing offers reportedly came from Netflix, Mubi, Searchlight, and Focus Features before A24 prevailed — an outcome that felt almost preordained to some observers. IndieWire noted that the film’s aesthetic lands squarely in A24’s register, describing it as the kind of film that just needs “an A24 logo slapped onto the opening credits and it’s ready for the world.” UTA Independent Film Group negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmaking team, with Charades International handling international launch duties at Cannes.
