Overview
- The film opened in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2026 and marks Hayley Kiyoko’s first feature as director after she expanded her 2015 song into a 2023 YA novel and now a movie.
- Early reviews split between strong praise for Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy’s chemistry and the film’s photography and critiques of cheesy dialogue, uneven plotting, and limited emotional depth.
- Kiyoko said roughly 4,000 actors auditioned for the two lead roles and the film deliberately uses a mid‑2000s setting and nostalgic details to speak to longtime fans.
- Industry coverage projects a typical Focus Features theatrical‑to‑streaming window of about four months, with likely placement on Peacock or Netflix, though that timing is not yet confirmed.
- Supporters note the project’s authorial arc and its focus on sapphic and Asian‑American visibility as a reason the film matters to millennial fans even as questions remain about whether it will connect with today’s teens.