Premiere - Regretting You : New York lights up with a photo call and a surprise screening

By Mulder, New York, Regal Union Square, 02 october 2025

On October 2, 2025, New York City briefly became the epicenter of book-to-screen excitement as the cast of Regretting You descended on Manhattan for a glamorous photocall at The Langham New York and an equally emotional surprise appearance later in the evening at Regal Union Square. The stars Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames radiated energy as they posed for photographers before joining the press to discuss their roles in one of the fall’s most anticipated romantic dramas. The photocall itself carried that mix of polish and intimacy often reserved for projects that blend literary prestige with cinematic ambition. Both young actors, already seasoned despite their ages, carried themselves with the kind of poise that signaled this adaptation was more than a simple studio release — it was a generational story being passed into new hands.

The day’s momentum didn’t end with flashes and interviews. In a move that both fans and unsuspecting moviegoers will remember for years, Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames surprised an audience gathered for the “New York Sorority Screening” at Regal Union Square. The reactions inside the theater were immediate: applause broke out as the two stars walked onstage, blurring the line between the fiction audiences were about to watch and the reality of the talent who embodied it. It was a shrewd gesture from Paramount Pictures, but more than that, it highlighted how Regretting You is meant to resonate as a shared cultural event rather than just a night at the movies. One attendee noted the symmetry of seeing the actors talk about confronting family secrets onscreen just moments before the story itself unspooled across the auditorium — a reminder that sometimes, the best promotion is simply letting art and audience meet in the same space.

Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2019 novel, Regretting You carries with it a ready-made following, but the film also arrives under the careful guidance of director Josh Boone and screenwriter Susan McMartin, whose work promises to translate the raw emotional cadence of the book into cinematic language. The production began in Atlanta in March 2025, a location that provided both suburban textures and intimate backdrops for a story set at the fragile crossroads of family, grief, and forbidden love. Producers Robert Kulzer, Brunson Green, Anna Todd, and Flavia Viotti oversaw a project that needed to balance faithfulness to the source material with the ability to stand alone for audiences discovering the narrative for the first time. That balancing act is visible in the ensemble cast: Allison Williams as Morgan Grant, a mother holding her family together while burying her own dreams; Mckenna Grace as Clara, the daughter fighting to carve out her own independence; Dave Franco in a key supporting role; and additions like Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, and Clancy Brown, each lending distinct gravitas to a story steeped in betrayal and reconciliation.

The film’s synopsis promises turbulence and revelation: Allison Williams’s Morgan has put her ambitions aside to raise Clara, only to watch their differences grow into daily battles. The tragedy that crashes into their lives forces mother and daughter not only to confront their mutual resentments but also to rediscover what binds them. Meanwhile, Clara gravitates toward a forbidden love, testing the boundaries her mother had tried to enforce. This dual narrative — two women on diverging paths yet circling the same truth — is where Regretting You finds its emotional heartbeat. What makes the adaptation notable is not just the melodrama of loss and secrets, but the insistence that resilience can be rediscovered in unexpected places, whether in the arms of an estranged figure from Morgan’s past or in Clara’s own coming-of-age.

During the New York events, the anecdotal details illuminated just how much care has gone into framing this adaptation as more than a simple romance. For instance, photographers noted how Mckenna Grace, who has already carved a reputation for playing characters wise beyond their years, leaned into Clara’s rebellious streak in her styling, while Mason Thames, best known for The Black Phone, embodied a mixture of youthful charm and quiet intensity that suits his character’s dynamic with Clara. These subtleties mattered because they foreshadowed the film’s promise: characters who are not stereotypes of “mother” or “daughter” but living contradictions who have to learn each other anew. The fact that the actors themselves stepped into New York cinemas to surprise audiences gave a meta-layer to that rediscovery, collapsing the gap between fiction and life.

With its U.S. release set for October 24, 2025, and an earlier rollout in Germany through Constantin Film on October 23, Regretting You is poised to capitalize on both the built-in readership of Colleen Hoover’s novel and the mainstream draw of its cast. The French release will follow on October 29, ensuring the film arrives as autumn deepens and audiences lean toward stories that can mix heartbreak with catharsis. Cinematographer Tim Orr and editors Marc Clark and Robb Sullivan have reportedly leaned into a restrained visual style, letting faces and small gestures carry the narrative tension rather than overwhelming it with spectacle. That aesthetic choice feels in line with the film’s broader strategy: to highlight intimacy in a season often dominated by blockbusters.

As the photos from New York continue to circulate — captured by Slaven Vlasic and John Nacion for Getty Images — it is clear that Regretting You has positioned itself as both a faithful adaptation and a cinematic event with its own identity. The anecdotes from the photocall and surprise screening show how the studio understands the value of proximity between stars and fans, but they also underline something more poignant: this is a film about connection and rediscovery, and its promotional path has mirrored those themes. By choosing to meet audiences face to face rather than relying solely on digital campaigns, Josh Boone, the producers, and Paramount Pictures have underscored that the heart of Regretting You lies in shared moments — of pain, of revelation, and of unexpected joy. In that sense, New York did not just host a launch; it became the first stage where the story’s pulse could be felt collectively, a fitting prelude to a film destined to stir conversations long after the credits roll.

Synopsis :
Morgan Grant put her dreams on hold to raise her daughter Clara. While they share an unwavering love for each other, everything else divides them: their values, their choices, their way of loving and living. Morgan wants to protect Clara at all costs, even if it means suffocating her. Clara, on the other hand, refuses to follow her mother's path and seeks to emancipate herself. But when a brutal tragedy brings to light an unimaginable betrayal, the fragile balance they had built is shattered. In the chaos, Morgan finds unexpected support... from the one person she had kept at a distance for years. Meanwhile, Clara grows dangerously close to the boy she has been forbidden to love. Two parallel paths, two hearts in recovery, one truth to face.

Regretting You
Directed by Josh Boone
Written by Susan McMartin
Based on Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Produced by Robert Kulzer, Brunson Green, Anna Todd, Flavia Viotti
Starring Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, Clancy Brown
Cinematography : Tim Orr
Edited by Marc Clark, Robb Sullivan
Production companies : Constantin Film, Harbinger Pictures, Frayed Pages Entertainment, Heartbones Entertainment
Distributed by Constantin Film (Germany), Paramount Pictures (Worldwide)
Release dates : October 24, 2025 (United States), October 29, 2025 (France)
Running time : 116 minutes