Fans who attended a recent screening of the new film Bugonia got both good news and bad news. The good news? Bugonia is legitimately awesome, and surely, they enjoyed the wild ride. The bad news? They probably could’ve left with their hair.
Earlier this week, Focus Features held a clever marketing screening for the new Yorgos Lanthimos film, where you got in for free if you were previously bald or willing to go bald. The reason is that, in the film, Jesse Plemons’ character kidnaps Emma Stone’s character and shaves her head so she can’t communicate with her alien overlords. Oh, right, he thinks she’s an alien, which is the whole fun of the movie.
Focus even had a barber on hand to shave anyone willing to clear their domes before the movie, and many did. But not everyone.
Writer Demi Adejuyigbe was among the first to go to social media to reveal that what started as an all-bald screening quickly pivoted. “Friend’s boyfriend is at the all-bald screening of BUGONIA and apparently shaving heads took too long so they’re passing out bald caps. Imagine being the last one who had to shave,” Adejuyigbe posted.
Popular California meme account Americana at Brand also posted about the event and, as people pointed out, you can see people in bald caps in the image.
Snuck into the hottest screening in LA… the all-bald screening of Bugonia: https://t.co/QFctMdEUnb pic.twitter.com/hY4C7aEtaV
— Americana at Brand Memes (@americanamemes) October 21, 2025
So what happened here? Did the shaving just take too much time? Could people simply choose to put on the bald cap instead of shaving? io9 reached out to representatives handling the film as well as Focus Features but did not get a response.
Nevertheless, it seems most people didn’t mind. The Los Angeles Times was also at the event, and in the following video, you can see that a lot of shaving did, in fact, take place. And while the video also confirms the availability of bald caps, people still seem to be generally happy about the event anyway.
@latimes How committed to the bit are you? @rebecca stopped by a free special advanced screening of Yorgos Lanthimos’ new film, “Bugonia.” Attendees had to be bald, “or willing to become bald” with the help of an on-site barber.
You have to think anyone who willingly attended the screening was ready to play along, but, as Adejuyigbe pointed out, there was probably one person who got their head shaved, then realized they didn’t have to, and maybe that person didn’t feel so great. But, thankfully, Bugonia is awesome, so at least they got to see it for free.
Bugonia opens in limited release on Friday before expanding on October 31. We’ll have a review and interview with director Yorgos Lanthimos later this week.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
