Cannes Launches With Muted Opening Night Short on Star Power — And Cleavage

What about Bob?

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival launched with a special tribute to Robert De Niro, who injected some much-needed star power on a quiet opening night. The main attraction — the French musical comedy, “Partir un Jour” — took a backseat to paparazzi scrambling to land a shot of the star of “Taxi Driver,” who made the trek to France to accept an honorary Palme d’Or from Leonardo DiCaprio.

Past winners of the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, such as Quentin Tarantino and Sean Baker, strode the red carpet, along with actors and models like Eva Longoria, Julia Garner, Heidi Klum, and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Juliette Binoche, who serves as jury president, donned a light pink pantsuit with a veil that brought to mind something out of the “Dune” universe. She held hands with her fellow jurors — a group that includes “Succession” star Jeremy Strong, Oscar-winning actor Halle Berry, “All We Imagine as Light” director Payal Kapadia — at the top of the steps. A smattering of applause broke out when De Niro made his entrance on the carpet.

This year there were short lines to enter into the Palais as the crowds hurriedly made their way past the flashing lights on the red carpet. For all the talk of a nudity ban this year — forbidding women from wearing gowns deemed too revealing — the Cannes fashion police seemed to be off-duty. One man was allowed to enter wearing a knitted necktie (when bowties are mandatory) and worst of all, another male attendee was spotted donning dirty blue boat shoes with his black tux.

Cannes’ opening night celebration of cinema draws global attention. However, the movies that kick off the festival, such as the Johnny Depp historical epic “Jeanne du Barry” or the Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel comedy “The Second Act,” quickly fade from memory. This year’s opening night honors go to “Partir un Jour,” which screened early to some critics, and has received mixed reviews. A high-profile film journalist walked to her seat and whispered under her breath, “I will suffer through this.”

There may be some off-screen drama at this year’s opening celebration. Freelance workers at the film festival, supported by the French labor org Sous les écrans la dèche (Broke Behind the Screens), plan to stage a protest for the second consecutive year at this evening’s glamorous opening ceremony. Will it, or some ominous clouds, spoil the party?

Cannes’ status as a pivotal awards season stop was secured after last year’s Palme d’Or winner, Sean Baker’s “Anora,” ended up triumphing at the Oscars by capturing best picture. Recent editions have also seen the premieres of Oscar heavyweights like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” It’s unclear if this year will play host to other major awards contenders.

On paper, the lineup offers something for a wide arrange of tastes. It includes a collection of major studio releases such as “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” (with Tom Cruise returning to the Croisette three years after “Top Gun: Maverick’s” triumphant debut), as well as films from globally renowned auteurs like Ari Aster (“Edington”), Julia Ducournau (“Alpha”), Spike Lee (“Highest 2 Lowest”), Oliver Hermanus (“The History of Sound”) and Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”).

But there are also signs that Cannes, synonymous with glamour and splashy parties, may be in belt-tightening mode. The box office is still struggling to regain its pre-pandemic form and there are concerns that the economy could be headed for a recession. Studios and streamers have quietly said they are sending fewer executives, with some wary of overpaying for movies that might have limited commercial appeal.

Despite two of the biggest movie stars on the planet — in Cruise and DiCaprio — criss crossing the area at the same time, security was only slightly heightened. Police riding horses, swept the side streets and extended the ban on traffic. The turnout from, appeared bigger than last year, with barely any room to maneuver in front of the Palais. One fan watching the action on the jumbo screen set up outside delighted when she saw Baker and his wife Samantha Quan grace the red carpet. “Il est Americain.” She said, but struggled to remember his name.

A week before Cannes started, President Donald Trump threw the movie business into a state of confusion after he announced that he was going to impose 100% tariffs on all films “produced in Foreign Lands.” His goal was to bring back production to the U.S. Trump has since backed off from that threat, stating no final decisions have been made and signaling a willingness to meet with studio executives. But if he shifts gear again and imposes his tariffs, they threaten to unravel a global network of film financing that relies on foreign subsidies to get movies, like the ones that show at Cannes, made.

Angelique Jackson and Tatiana Siegel contributed to this report.