- Major studios are mostly absent from Cannes premieres this year, noted Festival director Thierry Fremaux
- Hollywood's Cannes relationship is strained due to post-COVID mixed reviews and poor box office results
- Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis are cited as Cannes successes despite recent underperforming studio films
For years, a Cannes premiere was considered one of grandest stages for the first glimpse of a new film. This year, though, major studios are mostly staying away from the illustrious European movie extravaganza, something that became one of the biggest talking points during the festival's opening press conference on Monday.
The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival begins today. It will run through May 23.
“I hope the studio films come back,” said Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux when asked about the absence of major premieres.
“Each studio, producer, and author has their own strategy,” he added, suggesting release-date changes and evolving marketing plans are influencing decisions more than ever.
Hollywood's relationship with Cannes has become increasingly complicated in recent years. After the Covid pandemic, several expensive studio films premiered at the festival only to receive mixed reviews and underwhelming box office results later, reported Deadline. Big-ticket studio films such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Elemental and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga were among the films that did not perform well.
Responding to this observation, Fremaux said that Cannes has delivered huge success stories for studios too. Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick became a USD 1.5 billion global hit after premiering at the festival, while Elvis turned Austin Butler into an awards-season star.
Even without major tentpole premieres, Hollywood has not disappeared entirely from Cannes. Universal Pictures proposed a Fast & Furious 25th anniversary midnight screening featuring cast appearances. Fremaux described this as “a wonderful idea”. The event arrives just as Vin Diesel announced four new TV series connected to the popular action franchise.
Fremaux also pushed back against claims that American cinema is absent from Cannes altogether. He highlighted films from James Gray, Ira Sachs and Steven Soderbergh as part of this year's lineup.
