A24 has set a release date for Jesse Eisenberg‘s The Debut. The film will first receive a limited theatrical release before expanding nationwide.

Why A24’s The Debut could be a musical movie worth watching?

The Debut is set to open in limited release on December 11, 2026, before expanding nationwide on Christmas Day 2026.

The musical drama follows the same release strategy A24 used for films such as The Brutalist and The Whale, both of which were major Academy Awards contenders and won multiple Oscars. Ahead of its theatrical release, the film will screen at several fall film festivals, according to Deadline.

In a recent interview with People, Eisenberg confirmed that the film was inspired by his own experiences, stating, “It’s really a movie about my life. In 1990, I got into community theater, and it was life-changing and terrifying, and I treated it with so much importance, even though it was just a silly local play, and that’s what the movie is kind of following, that spirit.”

A24’s The Debut brings together three Oscar nominees and one Oscar winner in a film. The cast includes Oscar winner Julianne Moore, two-time Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Cara Buono, and two-time Oscar nominee Eisenberg, who also wrote, directed, and produced the movie.

Moore and Eisenberg reunite after previously working together on Eisenberg’s feature directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World. Eisenberg earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for A Real Pain, while co-star Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The film’s synopsis follows: “Mona Friedman (Moore), who is unexpectedly cast in a community theater production. She transforms from a shy, unassuming housewife into a zealous method actor and loses herself in the role under the spell of a strong-willed director.”

The producing team also includes Emma Stone, Dave McCary, and Ali Herting, while Ryan Heller serves as an executive producer.