Jenna Ortega & Natalie Portman's New Dark Comedy Thriller Debuts With Middling Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Gallerist fails to make a splash with critics at Sundance 2026 premiere.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 12:31pm

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Cathy Yan's new dark comedy thriller film The Gallerist, starring Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to a lukewarm critical reception, earning a 56% Rotten Tomatoes score from 18 reviews. The film follows a struggling art gallery owner who hatches a daring plan to sell a corpse at Art Basel Miami to save her business.

Why it matters

The Gallerist's middling debut at Sundance raises questions about whether the star power of Portman and Ortega will be enough to draw audiences, given the film's niche narrative and the generally negative critical response so far. The performance of this film could impact the future prospects of both leading actresses as they have several other high-profile projects in the works.

The details

The Gallerist, directed by Cathy Yan, premiered on Saturday at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows Natalie Portman's character, a struggling art gallery owner, who hatches a plan to sell a corpse at the Art Basel Miami show in order to save her business. The cast also includes Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Daniel Brühl, Charli XCX, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

  • The Gallerist premiered on Saturday at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
  • As of January 27, 2026, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 56% from 18 reviews.

The players

The Gallerist

A new dark comedy thriller film directed by Cathy Yan and starring Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega.

Natalie Portman

An acclaimed actress known for roles in films like the Star Wars franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jackie, V for Vendetta, and the Oscar-winning Black Swan.

Jenna Ortega

A rising young actress known for her roles in Wednesday, Scream, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and the upcoming sci-fi film Klara and the Sun.

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What they’re saying

“The Gallerist is a tepid satire [...] packed with characters whose depth of feeling is only skin-deep.”

— Gregory Nussen, Critic (ScreenRant)

“The film fancies itself a critique of the vapid art world, yet possesses less depth than the puddles its characters keep slipping on.”

— Cole Growth, Critic (FandomWire)

“The Gallerist is an irredeemably obvious and one-note affair.”

— Nick Schager, Critic (The Daily Beast)

What’s next

The Gallerist is still seeking distribution and may hope to fare better with a theatrical release, but these early reviews probably indicate how a broader audience will also respond.

The takeaway

The Gallerist's lukewarm debut at Sundance suggests that the star power of Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega may not be enough to overcome the film's niche narrative and generally negative critical reception, raising questions about its commercial prospects even with a wider theatrical release.