Leather market will test cinema’s COVID recovery

The 75th Cannes Film Festival, which starts on Wednesday and runs until May 28, is like a return to cinema (with a capital C).

After two years of ending the COVID pandemic era, making virtual films and masked, socially distanced mini-events (like last year’s skin), the international film industry is hungry for a brilliant combination of red carpet, glamour, Côte d’Azur. and nightclubs.

“This is something that many professionals, especially those in the independent industry, have been missing, the physical events, the business accelerators that come to physical markets,” said CEO Guillaume Esmiol, who is the company’s sole manager. The Cannes Film Market next year will be replaced by the retired Jerome Peylard. “Everyone will have access to our online platform, but this year less than 10% of participants will be virtual. First of all, this is the physical market. ”

China, which is battling COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions in its dozens of major cities, and Russia, which is boycotting the festival after invading Ukraine, are the only two major skinless countries this year. Even Asian buyers, many of whom have to bear
Excessively long flights over the cruiser are expected to avoid Russian airspace.

“We are all very excited to be back, I don’t know anyone who has decided not to come because of these difficulties,” said Miuki Takematsu, co-founder of Freestone, a Japanese sales force.

Hollywood is also back, with Paramount Pictures competing with no testimonials. Top Gun: Maverick And Warner Bros. Rock Rock Biopic Elvis Clear signs that the studios are ready to bet on the advertising power of Cannes Premier.

With TikTok as a sponsor of the festival this year, best weaponThe marketing department will be able to count on the great buzz of social media ahead of its world premiere, a week after Bow’s film at Cannes.

Online streamers who dominated the acquisition and distribution business during the pandemic may play a smaller role this year. Netflix is ​​still at odds with the festival over its window policy: Cannes requires all competing titles to be released in cinemas in France, and even with new laws shortening the required window, there’s still a 15-month wait. between the cinema opening and SVOD. Lean. The recent shake-up of the global streamer, which is reportedly on the wane after losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and falling stock prices, could also hamper the festival’s big business.

“Right now, criminals are falling apart,” said Brian Oshii of The Exchange, which is the title of Alex Gainer’s horror. children in the cemetery And a comedy thriller. Laroy, This year at Cannes Market with the participation of John Magaro. “Business models are changing at a constant pace, but when everyone thinks that all doors are closed, [we see] More windows will open than you can imagine. Demand for content remains very strong. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to see what buyers want in terms of scale and level of investment. ”

Several $100 million projects were offered at Cannes this year, but there are plenty of films in the mid-budget range, from the likes of Liam Neeson. thief From the spy thriller by Mossbank/CAA and Pierre Morel black canary With Kate Beckinsale, sold by Anthony for the Lionsgate horror title Mother earth Featuring high-quality drama from Halle Berry and HanWay Films ᲓBackWith Juliet Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.

“If you’re a distributor hoping to buy all those big $100 million indie films, you’re going to have to move on because there are very few of them,” said Mark Goldberg, CEO/producer/distributor of Signature UK. Გ Entertainment. “But we make about 70-80 movies a year and we’ve realized that what really works now are good, quality movies, where the most important aspects are criticism and critical acclaim.”

Evidence of this penchant for quality followed a trio of high-profile competition titles being hijacked ahead of their festival debut: Mubi, an aggressively expanding arts and essay platform, was recently purchased by German sales company The Match Factory. chan wook park the decision to leave For North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Turkey and India; Co-Production Office closes deals across Europe for Ruben Ostlund’s social satire the pain triangle; And Neon took away the North American rights HallThe first Korean-language film by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, a move that will inevitably lead to the global battle of the film in which it is featured. Parasite Kang-ho star song.

“Many international buyers are looking to sell a major independent, neon, or A24 film in the US as this is a guarantee that the film will hit national theaters and not switch to streaming,” said an international seller. Agent.

On the eve of the festival, Sony Pictures Classics received all rights to Un Certain Regard from Dave Chow in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. All the people I will never bebe copied back to seoul.

Recent success of indie titles, including star Michelle Yeoh everything everywhere at the same timeWhich raised $45 million for the A24 and Cannes 2021 competition. the worst person in the world ($12 million worldwide) and Oscar winner drive my car ($15 million), should encourage traditional movie buyers to place bigger bets on new movies.

“These successes, and the success of the big studio subtitles that have been released in theaters, are an acknowledgment that there is still a lot of money on the table. [by going straight to streamers]Said David Garrett of Mister Smith Entertainment, which sells Lee Tamahor To convert

Boy with Pierce in Cannes. “It’s very likely that we’ll go back to the old model, give movies a chance to be shown in theaters and make $5 million, $10 million, $30 million before moving to digital platforms.