Correction: An earlier version of this article failed to mention Jim Jarmusch’s Gimme Danger. Thus, there are actually five, not four, Amazon films screening at Cannes.
Several high-profile films appeared on the Cannes Film Festival’s 2016 lineup, including Steven Spielberg’s The BFG and Sean Penn’s The Last Face. What’s especially interesting, however, is that five of the titles listed are Amazon films.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the festival will be opened by Woody Allen’s Cafe Society, which Amazon owns the US rights to. Amazon additionally owns the US rights to Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson, and Gimme Danger, all of which will be featured at Cannes.
This really goes to show just how far subscription video services have come in recent years. While speaking with THR, though, festival director Thierry Fremaux mentioned that “Amazon bought the rights of these films, they will be released in theaters first.” So audiences can still have a traditional moviegoing experience.