The film was added to the 2017 Cannes Film Festival's schedule near the end of April, a late addition. This marked its international debut. It later went to the Sydney Film Festival in June, followed by the New Zealand International Film Festival in July. With the number of films at the Toronto International Film Festival being reduced from 2016, "The Square" was nevertheless selected for the 2017 festival in September. The U.S. debut took place at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in September 2017.