Business as Usual in Cannes
Despite initial concerns about the impact of Donald Trump’s tariff threats, the Cannes market has seen a steady flow of business, with buyers and sellers reporting a constant stream of deals. Sellers have brought around 140 packages to the Croisette this year, with prices for bigger titles remaining high.
Big Deals and High Prices
Lionsgate has reportedly sold the rights to "The Hunger Games: Sunrise" to Germany for $25 million, with production set to start this summer. A24 has also enjoyed a strong reaction to its heavy-hitters, including Edward Berger’s mystery thriller "The Drivers" starring Brad Pitt and Kristoffer Borgli’s romance drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.
Market Slowdown
However, the big deals may be slowing down the rest of the market. "Buyers are waiting to hear back on the big things, so they’re holding back on offering on some of the mid-sized things," says Sarah Lebutsch, SVP of sales and distribution at Protagonist Pictures. "The market is by no means done. It will be very busy again."
Horror and Animation on the Rise
Zygi Kamasa of True Brit has found a robust contingent of around 10 British projects, contributing to a market with "very high energy." He has picked up "Rapture" and "Crawl" and notes that "horror is a great business with theaters." Fabien Westerhoff of Global Constellation has made a four-picture deal with the director of "Lucky Lu" and reports "good pre-sales on the larger budget CG animated films."
Shift in Russian Buyers’ Behavior
Russian buyers, who have been active in their territory in the absence of Hollywood releases in recent years, have been making lower offers, sensing a thaw in official relations between the US and Russia. "You already expect the studio films to return to the territory, so the need for independent films will probably return to what it was before the war," says Lebutsch.
Notable Deals and Festival Selection
MUBI’s $24 million purchase of North America and select territories for Lynne Ramsay’s competition entry "Die, My Love" was a major deal in Cannes. Other sales have closed on festival selection titles, which have been well-received overall. "Noise of the Fall" and "Syrup" are two of the celebrated films in competition, although they have polarized critics and buyers. So far, there has been no standout selection.
