The project was announced by director Ruben Östlund in June 2017, right after his previous film The Square won the Palme d'Or at Cannes; he described it as a 'wild' satire of the fashion world and the ultra-rich, exploring themes of 'appearance as capital' and 'beauty as currency.'

The English title refers to a term used by plastic surgeons for the worry wrinkle that forms between the eyebrows, which can be removed with Botox.

About 120 actors were considered for the male lead role that eventually went to Harris Dickinson, while Emily Ratajkowski was among the actresses who auditioned for the role that went to Charlbi Dean.

Casting took place over several months across Berlin, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Gothenburg and Moscow, while location scouting ran intermittently from January to October 2019, showing the film's long, methodical pre-production process.

Principal photography began on 19 February 2020 in Sweden and Greece but was paused on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with only about 37% of shooting completed; production briefly resumed in Sweden in June-July 2020 to let Woody Harrelson finish his scenes before finally wrapping after a total 73-day shoot on 13 November 2020.

During the pandemic-affected production, the crew carried out 1,061 COVID-19 tests, all of which came back negative.

The luxury yacht scenes were filmed in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the Christina O, the yacht formerly owned by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

According to the actors, director Ruben Östlund was known for shooting as many as 23 takes per scene.

The film received an eight-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere before going on to win the Palme d'Or.

Distributor Neon acquired North American rights for $8 million after winning a bidding war against A24, Searchlight Pictures/Hulu, Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics.

The film was Charlbi Dean's final film role, as she died before its wide theatrical release; critic Richard Brody noted that the performance assured her stardom and reflected on the unrealized roles her death foreclosed.