Cannes unveiled its 2026 lineup on Thursday, drawing star power from beloved international auteurs Pedro Almodovar, Hirokazu Koreeda, and Asghar Farhadi.
Although there are some outstanding talents in Hollywood – such as Sebastian Stan and Renate Rainsef in Christian Mungiu Fjordand Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder for Jane Schoenbrunn Teen sex and death in Miasma campAnd Cara Delevingne for Jordan Firstman’s Kid Club – They’re marching with the likes of indie outfits Neon, Mubi and UTA behind them.
Where are the studios? Steven Spielberg Disclosure day At Universal it was never a sure bet, and Hollywood Reporter I certainly wasn’t too optimistic about Tom Cruise digger (Warner Bros) or Christopher Nolan Odyssey (Also global). The same goes for Disney and the highly anticipated one Toy Story 5.
It’s also worth noting that not every film has been announced yet, and art director Thierry Frémaux will likely confirm some later additions in the coming weeks. However, consider the latest studios to be showcased at Cannes Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga, Indiana Jones and the Connection of Destiny – It was announced before the main selection press conference, which this year took place on Thursday morning French time. Therefore, it is noteworthy that we have not encountered any wind yet.
Fremaux even addressed the issue of no-shows in the studio at the top of the lineup conference. “The United States will be present [at this year’s festival]“Studios are fewer,” he said [so]. “When studios are less present in Cannes, they are less present.”
“Tom Cruise and Paramount came two years ago Mission: impossible and Top GunHe continued: “Besides the studios and Los Angeles… [cinema] Exists and this selection will be a certificate [to] Which. The art of cinema will be present this year at the Croisette.”
Historically, screening at Cannes and other major film festivals (Venice, Toronto, Berlin) has been a mixed bag for studios. The Croisette undoubtedly boasts the most glamorous red carpet on the planet (is there a more photographed set of stairs than the one leading up to the palace?) with big stunts garnering much fanfare, such as Top Gun: MaverickJet flybys of 2022 cover the waterfront in red and blue smoke.
But festivals are subject to some of the most fickle critics, as he explored THR At this year’s Berlinale, an event that also failed to attract studio interest. Berlin director Tricia Tuttle traced this trend back to the 2024 Venice Film Festival Joker: Folie à Deuxfollowing Todd Phillips jokerwhich was quickly trashed by the festival’s critics and declared dead on arrival. It slowly made its way to the $200 million mark worldwide (by comparison, its predecessor grossed over $1 billion, but also won a Golden Lion).
That’s not to say it’s not an exciting lineup at Cannes: Ira Sachs’ Musical Fantasy The man I love With Rami Malek, John Travolta’s directorial debut One-way night coachKiyoshi Kurosawa Kokorojo: Samurai and PrisonerAnd Hirokazu Koreeda Sheep in the box They all head to the mansion, with documentaries from Ron Howard and Steven Soderbergh as well.
However, the glaring deficiency in Hollywood is so apparent that Fremaux felt he had to address it before diving into the 2026 slate. Is it safe to avoid Kahn’s harsh criticism? Has the excitement around major festivals diminished? Is it difficult to market a film outside the festival, or attract audiences weeks after its world premiere? If Fremo does not have enough support, such questions will become more urgent when Cannes begins in May.
