Cannes opens with Travolta, Driver, Streisand

Cannes is opening with stars, but that is not really the story this year. The real story is that the 79th festival starts on Tuesday, May 12, with a much lighter Hollywood studio presence than Cannes usually wants, even as John Travolta, Adam Driver and Barbra Streisand give the red carpet some gravity. The gap matters because Cannes has long been both a prestige showcase and a launchpad for big movies. This time, it looks more like the market side of Cannes is carrying more weight than the spectacle side. ### Why are people talking about Cannes this way? Because “Cannes” is really two things at once. It is the festival — where films compete for the Palme d’Or and premieres dominate headlines — and it is the Marché du Film, the giant industry market running alongside it. In 2026, the festival still has major auteurs and prestige titles, but the market looks unusually central because distributors and sales agents are chasing projects and packages in a year without many studio tentpoles on the Croisette. (msn.com) ### So what changed with Hollywood? Studios seem far less eager to use Cannes as a giant marketing stage. The reasons are pretty practical — some films were not ready in time, some studios did not want to spend heavily on splashy premieres months before release, and some no longer see much upside in risking a rough Cannes reception that can instantly harden online narratives. Basically, the old equation — prestige plus buzz equals value — is not working as reliably for big U.S. releases. (screendaily.com) ### Does that mean Cannes is weaker? Not exactly. It means Cannes is leaning harder into what it has always also been — a global marketplace for film rights, financing and packaging. If Hollywood blockbusters are the fireworks, the market is the engine room. This year the engine room is easier to see because fewer fireworks are going off. Buyers are still in town, filmmakers still want the Cannes stamp, and the festival still sets the tone for the rest of the arthouse and awards calendar. (variety.com) ### What is the market actually buzzing about? A lot of the heat is around packages rather than finished movies. Trade chatter has centered on a Park Chan-wook western, a Charlie Kaufman comeback, and a broad slate of star-driven sales titles featuring names like Austin Butler, Natalie Portman and Jonathan Bailey. That matters because Cannes can turn a project from “interesting” into “financed” very fast if enough territorial buyers bite. (hollywoodreporter.com) ### Where do Travolta, Driver and Streisand fit in? They are the reminder that Cannes still knows how to stage a moment. Reuters flagged Travolta, Driver and Streisand among the biggest names expected on the red carpet, and Streisand is also part of the festival’s honors conversation. So the glamour has not vanished. It is just not being driven by the usual studio pipeline. (hollywoodreporter.com) ### What should people watch for next? Watch whether any non-studio title breaks out early — either from competition or from the market. In a year like this, the biggest Cannes story may not be a blockbuster premiere at all. It may be a sales frenzy, a surprise auteur hit, or a project that leaves the Riviera with its financing locked and its awards prospects suddenly real. (msn.com) ### Bottom line? Cannes 2026 still has movie stars. But the center of gravity has shifted. This year, the festival opens looking less like Hollywood’s fanciest showcase and more like the place where the global film business goes shopping. (msn.com) (hollywoodreporter.com)