Variety says Hollywood shunned Cannes

Variety’s report landed as the 79th Cannes Film Festival was already underway with a conspicuous gap on the Croisette: no major Hollywood studio title is premiering at this year’s event. Cannes runs from May 12 to May 23, and the official 2026 selection announced on April 9 is dominated by international auteurs and U.S. independents rather than the studio launches that helped define several recent editions. Thierry Frémaux, Cannes’ artistic director, acknowledged the retreat before the festival began and again during opening-week remarks. Variety reported on May 17 that studios viewed Cannes as too risky and too expensive this year, while Frémaux said at the opening press conference on Monday, “I hope the studio films come back.” The absence matters because Cannes has recently served as a launchpad for U.S. prestige and event films, including “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” “Elvis” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” This year, the American presence is still visible, but it is coming mostly from the indie side and from anniversary or special-event screenings. (festival-cannes.com) (variety.com) ### Which Hollywood names are actually in Cannes this year? The April 9 Cannes lineup included U.S. filmmakers Ira Sachs and Jane Schoenbrun, along with Andy Garcia out of competition and special screenings tied to Steven Soderbergh and Ron Howard. James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” also made the competition lineup, giving the festival some American star power without a studio tentpole at its center. (variety.com) The Hollywood Reporter said on May 11 that “The Man I Love” and “Paper Tiger” are the key U.S. titles in competition, but both are independents rather than major studio releases. Cannes also programmed a Midnight Screening of “The Fast and the Furious” and an anniversary screening of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” bringing in franchise and legacy names without adding a new studio launch. (deadline.com) ### Why did the studios stay away from the Palais this time? Variety reported that studio executives, agents and publicity advisers saw Cannes as a costly bet during a period of budget pressure. The outlet said some executives were especially wary of harsh Cannes reactions landing early and shaping the narrative around a film months before release. (hollywoodreporter.com) The Hollywood Reporter put the cost in concrete terms, saying a Cannes push for a major release can run into seven figures once travel, hotels and security for top talent are included. One veteran publicist told the publication that a bad Cannes screening can hand a film “the worst start possible,” a risk some studios would rather avoid by holding controlled press events elsewhere. (variety.com) Frémaux offered a broader explanation when the lineup was announced in Paris on April 9. Deadline reported that he pointed to the past several years in Los Angeles — including the pandemic, labor strikes and wildfires — and said it had been “complicated to greenlight big films.” ### Did Cannes lose its market clout without the blockbusters? The Marché du Film said before opening that 16,000 film executives from more than 140 countries had registered for the 2026 market, part of roughly 40,000 professionals expected across the festival and market. (hollywoodreporter.com) Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both reported those figures, showing that dealmaking activity remained strong even as the studio premiere slate thinned out. (deadline.com) That split — fewer U.S. studio launches, but a still-crowded business market — is central to this year’s Cannes story. Frémaux told Deadline that “the American studios are around” even if their films are not, underscoring that the festival remains a meeting point for buyers, sellers and executives even in a lighter Hollywood year. ### How unusual is a Cannes lineup with no major studio premiere? (deadline.com) The Hollywood Reporter said this is the first Cannes since 2017 without a single film from a major Hollywood studio premiering at the festival. That makes 2026 stand out against a recent run in which Cannes mixed auteur competition titles with red-carpet launches from Paramount, Warner Bros. and Disney. (deadline.com) Screen Daily’s April 9 lineup report also showed where Cannes placed its emphasis this year: 2,541 feature submissions, 21 main competition titles initially announced, and a competition field led by filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Paweł Pawlikowski and Cristian Mungiu. The official selection page reflects that same balance toward international and auteur-driven cinema. (hollywoodreporter.com) ### What should readers watch before Cannes ends? May 23 is the festival’s closing date, and May 20 is the final day of the Marché du Film, according to Cannes and market organizers. Frémaux’s question about whether studio films will return will not be answered this week, but the next signal will likely come with the 2027 lineup talks between Cannes and the major studios, including Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Sony and Paramount. (festival-cannes.com) (screendaily.com)