On Tuesday, the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival kicked off with an opening night screening of the historical drama JEANNE DU BARRY from French director-actress Maïwenn who co-stars alongside Johnny Depp in the role of France’s King Louis XV.
As is typical, many of the most-anticipated movies of the year will have their premieres at Cannes this week. Last year, TOP GUN: MAVERICK, ELVIS, and TRIANGLE OF SADNESS were all able to leverage the buzz created at Cannes last year to have successful theatrical runs.
A number of renowned filmmakers will unveil their latest movies at the festival, including Wes Anderson with ASTEROID CITY and Martin Scorsese with KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. While ASTEROID arrives in theatres next month on June 16th, FLOWER MOON will be released later in the year on October 6th, positioning itself for consideration at next year’s Oscars. Some are doubting the box office potential of these movies after a number of movies from famous filmmakers have generated unimpressive results over the past several years.
Disney is bringing to the festival two of their most important movies for the year, INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY starring Harrison Ford, and Pixar’s newest animated feature ELEMENTAL. DIAL OF DESTINY is expected to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, while ELEMENTAL brings hope for a return to form for Pixar, after last year’s disappointment with LIGHTYEAR.
The fate of Disney’s movie business in 2023 will depend on the success of these two films. Recognizing this, a number of Disney’s top execs including CEO Bob Iger flew to Cannes to make an appearance at the premiere of DIAL OF DESTINY.
While applause for Ford at his introduction was enthusiastic, the audience’s reception for the film was “muted.” Critics have been unenthusiastic in their initial round of reviews, which does not bode well for its prospects when it arrives in theatres on June 30th.
See also: Cannes 2023: The Films We’re Excited About Seeing (New York Times)