Cannes 2025: Missing the Buzz? Studios Quiet on the Croisette
Cannes 2025: A Missing Spark?
The French Riviera is famous for its extravagance, but this year’s Cannes Film Festival feels a little… subdued. Usually, the Boulevard de la Croisette is a whirlwind of flashy activations for big-budget movies, independent darlings, and everything in between. Studios use the festival’s buzz to make a splash, hoping to catch the attention of stars, industry insiders, fans, and journalists.
The Quiet on the Croisette
This year, however, the excitement seems to be missing.
“Where is the hype?” one top executive at a streaming company asked Variety at the beachside Majestic Hotel. So far, only ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ has thrown a party, announcing its premiere at Cannes and its wide release on May 21st.
Even ‘Mission: Impossible’s’ marketing push is more modest than in previous years. While in 2022 Paramount went all out with a two-story replica of a pilot helmet, this year they opted for a series of 20-foot screens playing the trailer in front of the Carlton Hotel. They did, however, arrange a live orchestra to play the “Mission: Impossible” theme music at the film’s gala premiere – a rare feat that only a handful of films have achieved.
Where Did All the Gimmicks Go?
Movie studios have always used Cannes to create a buzz around their films with elaborate stunts, some even bordering on tacky.
We’ve seen Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, and Jack Black ride into Cannes harbor on a giant inflatable shark to promote “Shark Tale” in 2004. Jerry Seinfeld famously zip-lined off the Carlton Hotel in a giant bee costume for “Bee Movie” in 2007. Even Blake Lively’s “The Shallows” had a tasteful display of shark fins, a nod to “Jaws,” during a photo call in 2016.
This year, however, those extravagant stunts are nowhere to be found. A long dock usually taken over by film promotions for movies like Brad Pitt’s “Bullet Train” and DreamWorks’ “Trolls” is empty. Not a single studio has purchased the exclusive Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in nearby Antibes, which has hosted extravagant parties in past years.
The Economy Weighs In?
Some industry insiders believe the lack of hype is due to economic uncertainty. Global markets are feeling the strain of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have also impacted the film industry, particularly concerns about a proposed 100% levy on film tax incentives from foreign governments.
Others suggest that studios are shifting their marketing dollars towards more accessible platforms like TikTok, which even landed Tom Cruise for a fireside chat at Cannes this week.
One film sales agent sees this as a missed opportunity. They point out that the Monte Carlo Grand Prix is held just a stone’s throw from Cannes, making it the perfect time to remind people that Apple and Warner Bros. have a massive action film coming out in June, set in the world of Formula One.
“Why isn’t Brad Pitt’s face on a cocktail napkin at my hotel?” they asked.
