A box office hit with a disappointing twist: What you need to know about Don't Worry Darling.

It's the film we've spent approximately 12 years talking about.

Okay, maybe that's hyperbole, but it truly does feel like we've been talking about this goddamn film for far too long.

Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling is officially screening in the United States. Here in Australia, audiences have to wait a couple more weeks to see what all the fuss is about - it officially releases here on October 6.

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But this whole thing feels enormous, doesn't it?

It's not very often the making and promotion of a film leads to months of dramatic headlines, let alone dramatic headlines about screaming matches, the biggest male popstar in the world, one of the best actors of a generation and uh... SPITTING.

So before you book your tickets and grab your popcorn, here's everything you need to know about the film - from all the messiness to the very lukewarm reception it's received.

The behind-the-scenes drama that completely eclipsed the actual movie.

Let me attempt to condense months of rumour and scandal into a few digestible paragraphs.

There is a rumoured feud between Don't Worry Darling's director, Olivia Wilde, and its lead, Florence Pugh. The origin is completely down to speculation, which began because of their lack of interaction on social media, and because Pugh rarely acknowledged the film in the lead up to its release.

Beliefs about what caused it range from Pugh being annoyed at Wilde's blossoming on-set romance with Harry Styles, to drama involving the hiring, and then firing, of Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast in Styles' role. When a video leaked of Wilde attempting to placate LaBeouf before production began, the internet took her calling Pugh "Miss Flo" as further proof that something was wrong.

Since then, Wilde has addressed the drama multiple times, downplaying any issues between the pair and praising her lead's performance in interviews and press conferences.

When the film debuted at the Venice Film Festival, all eyes were on Wilde and the cast, and the unnatural and awkward press, red carpet and screening only increased speculation. 

Image: Getty.

On the weekend of its North American debut, Vulture reported that an unnamed insider who spent significant time on set witnessed a "screaming match" between Wilde and Pugh. It was a "blowout argument" that apparently happened three-quarters of the way through filming, and was due to Wilde's "frequent, unexplained absences".

The following day, 40 members of the crew and production team hit back.

"There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast. We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader," the statement to People said.

There has also been the (debunked) rumour of Styles spitting on Chris Pine, dissatisfaction from supporting cast members Kiki Layne and Ari'el Stachel about the bulk of their performances being cut, and the sideshow statements from LaBeouf disputing that he was fired from the movie.

In short: it's a big ol' mess.

(If you'd like to read thousands of words on every little BTS issue, we've also got you covered with this very in-depth deep dive: A 'screaming match' and Instagram shade: All the Don't Worry Darling drama in one place.)

Okay. But WTF is Don't Worry Darling about?

Good question.

Image: Warner Bros.

Don't Worry Darling is a psychological thriller.

Pugh and Styles play Alice and Jack Chambers, a young, happy couple living in the seemingly perfect company town of Victory, California, which has been created and paid for by the mysterious company Jack is working for. 

Each day, the men go off to work and the women cook, clean, and gossip. Everything seems great, but when Alice spots her neighbour acting strange, she begins to notice cracks in their idyllic community. Alice starts to question everything, from her husband's work to the motivations of the town's charismatic leader, Frank (Chris Pine).

No spoilers here, but there is, of course, a huge twist that reveals everything is not what it seems.

A big opening weekend and box office success.

You know that old adage 'any publicity is good publicity'? Plenty of people would disagree with that, I'm sure. But Warner Bros, the production and distribution company behind the film, isn't one of them.

Because Don't Worry Darling has already made bank, and topped the American box office.

The film collected US$19.2 million (AU$29.5m) across North American theatres in its opening weekend, with another US$10.8 (AU$16.6m) internationally, according to Variety.

It's an impressive debut for the US$35m budgeted movie. 

"We're enormously proud of this film and are pleased with these results given our modest production budget," the studio said on September 25.

Plus in a surprise to absolutely no one, The Harry Styles stunt casting definitely paid off in drawing fans to the cinema. Variety reported 66 per cent of American ticket buyers were women, with 70 per cent between the ages of 18-34. 

A critical bomb vs better audience rating.

Hollywood is a business, and money is of the utmost importance. But we can't ignore the pretty dire critical reception Don't Worry Darling has received - especially because it resulted in an embarrassing 38 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Initial reviews after its Venice debut were particularly harsh.

The Guardian's headline was savage enough, before you even get into the copy: "Don't Worry Darling review – panic! Harry Styles drama offers cause for concern".

It gave the film two out of five stars.

The Hollywood Reporter called the film's big reveal "like a Black Mirror episode that should have been sent back to the writers' room for another pass or two".

Rolling Stone praised Pugh's acting, but lamented a lack of chemistry between the leads and said "there are too many moments when you feel like Pugh, doing her usual stellar, steely-meets-vulnerable protagonist act, isn't try to escape a waking nightmare so much as a movie that's been forcibly relocated to Harry's House".

The jist of the reviews was that Pugh is fantastic, as per usual, Styles is meh, and the screenplay is bad. 

The film has been less polarising with general audiences, however, with a much more positive 79 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Don't Worry Darling hits cinemas in Australia on October 6. 

Feature image: Warner Bros.