Spa Weekend Arrives in Theaters: Star Power Meets Lukewarm Notices
A comedy built on a title that tells you the premise — four old friends, one luxury spa, things going wrong — landed in US cinemas on 21 August 2026. Spa Weekend, from Black Bear, pairs Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, Michelle Buteau and Isla Fisher in a film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the duo behind Bad Moms and the original The Hangover script.
The story follows three best friends whose deluxe spa escape at the fictional Solaris Eden Beach — a white-on-white beachfront hotel — gets derailed when their chaotic fourth friend shows up unannounced. Mann plays Jane, a high-strung attorney and divorced single mother whose birthday weekend it is. Faris is Sophie, a blonde who has spent ten years as the personal assistant to a tyrannical boss. Buteau's Coco is a divorced mother of two described as a walking fount of anger issues. And Fisher, cast firmly against type, plays Mel — a foul-mouthed British character in ridiculously loud clothing.
Rounding out the cast are Erika Keynatz as Shanti, the spa's general manager and resident guru, and Adam Demos as Kai, an Australian yoga instructor who makes meaningful eye contact with Jane. The film was shot on Australia's Gold Coast, a detail Variety first reported in February 2025 when the project's cast and location were confirmed.
Black Bear released the trailer in late May 2026, giving audiences a first look at the ensemble. The company is handling the film's distribution; industry tracking pointed toward a modest opening of roughly $3 million, a quiet figure for a release going wide in the competitive late-summer corridor.
For Lucas and Moore, Spa Weekend returns to territory they know — ensemble comedy about adults behaving badly. The Bad Moms franchise grossed over $300 million worldwide across two films, proving there was an audience for female-led R-rated comedy. Whether Spa Weekend can reach that audience at a fraction of the budget remains a question for the box office to answer.
The early critical reception has not been kind. Variety's Owen Gleiberman, in his review published 22 August 2026, found the jokes tired and predictable, categorising the film as a high-concept comedy where the concept sits squarely in the title. The Guardian was harsher still, calling the film "a dud" in its 21 August review and framing it as a female answer to The Hangover that fails to match its predecessor despite drawing on the same writers.
The cast alone gives the film a recognisable face. Mann is best known for comedies including This Is 40 and Knocked Up. Faris built her career on the Scary Movie series and The House Bunny. Buteau is a comedian and actress whose credits include Always Be My Maybe. Fisher broke through in Wedding Crashers and Confessions of a Shopaholic, typically playing polished, sympathetic characters — which makes her turn as the abrasive, sweary Mel a notable departure.
Spa Weekend is now playing in US theaters. Whether word of mouth lifts it beyond that modest tracking figure, or whether the critical drubbing keeps audiences away, will play out over the coming weeks.
