The 75th Cannes Film Festival reminded the world why people love going to the movies. And movie theaters got a major endorsement from a powerful A-list ally. “I make movies for the big screen,” Tom Cruise said May 18, just hours before the premiere of “Top Gun.” : Maverick” to a rapturous ovation en route to a $151 million box office opening.
Here are the biggest winners and losers on the Côte d’Azur.
Winner: Neon. The independent distributor has a special touch with the winners of the Palme d’Or. After 2019’s ‘Parasite’ and 2021’s ‘Titanium’, Neon has secured the North American rights to this year’s big Cannes champion: Ruben Östlund’s comedy ‘Triangle of Sadness’, which stars Woody Harrelson as the actor. a rabid Marxist who captains a cruise for the super-rich.
Loser: A dear genius. The conventional wisdom about George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Nostalgia,” starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, is that it’s too divisive and artistic to recoup its $60 million budget.
Winner: Star Power. Cannes came back strong, bringing A-list glamor back to the first sold-out festival since 2019. In addition to Cruise, the festival also hosted Julia Roberts – who attended the Chopard Trophy dinner on May 19 – Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis , Anne Hathaway and Sharon Stone. Stone has won every red carpet she’s walked on, even though she didn’t have a movie playing at the festival.
Winner: “Elvis”. Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster biopic starring Austin Butler won the biggest and most enthusiastic standing ovation at Cannes – clocking in at 12 minutes – a good sign of the film’s popular appeal. Warner Bros. Discovery pulled out all the stops with a wild after-party on the beach attended by its new CEO, David Zaslav. The mogul even walked the carpet with his hair slicked back, perhaps in homage to Elvis’ hairstyle.
Loser: Air conditioning and masks. Was it hot in Cannes or was it just you? With temperature spikes in the south of France, the festival felt like purgatory this year, as most American attendees complained that the Palais was too stuffy and hot during big premieres. As for Cannes fashion, an almost invisible accessory? Masks. Almost everyone in attendance carried on as if COVID was just a distant memory.
Winner: Christina Aguilera. Can there be a Palme d’Or for the best musical performance? Taking the stage at 1 a.m. on May 27, the singer sang a set of five of her songs — including the “Moulin Rouge!” anthem “Lady Marmalade” – which had acclaimed oligarchs and millionaires as the highlight of this year’s amfAR Cannes gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
