Launching a film at the Cannes Film Festival is equal measures honor and risk.
For every “The Artist,” there’s a “Grace of Monaco;” others are happy to leave unscathed.
Historically it’s a relative few who leave poised for Oscar consideration, but 2019 proved to be a strong year.Among these are the two splashiest festival debuts, both showbiz sagas: Quentin Tarantino’s $90-million “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, and Dexter Fletcher’s flashy $40 million bio-musical “Rocketman”, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John.Studios tend to premiere their movies in Cannes as a launch pad for international release.
Ten years ago, Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” was a smash at Cannes in 2009 and delivered $321 million worldwide along with eight Oscar nominations and one win, for Christoph Waltz.
This time, the movie’s megastar wattage lit up every news outlet around the world.
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