As directors, actors and cinephiles from around the world traveled to the Croisette this year, one question lingered: What would Cannes look like without major Hollywood studios in competition?
A sentiment across many reviews of the festival griped that the lineup felt notably weaker this year than in years past. Still, at the surface level, Cannes appeared unchanged – there were still standing ovations, deals made, and of course, a Palme d’Or awarded.
But in the absence of Hollywood spectacle, Cannes 2026 reflected a changing film industry, one in which TikTokers can become directors, AI can automate the production process and re-releases breathe new life into old prestige titles.
1. Neon Continued Its Palme d’Or Winning Streak
The New York-based indie studio picked up its seventh straight Palme d’Or on May 23 for Fjord.
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Nearly all of Neon’s previous six Palme-winning films have gone on to be nominated for at least one Oscar, with 2021’s Titane being the only exception. Parasite (2019)and Anora (2024) won Best Picture. It’s an impressive track record for a studio that has only been operating for nine years.
This is a strong indicator that Fjord will likely be a major Oscar contender for the studio in the fall, especially in light of the new Academy rule that international films that win the Palme d’Or, among other qualifying festival awards, will automatically be considered for recognition in Best International Feature.
Neon will also be distributing eight other Cannes 2026 films – more than any other studio so far. One of those films, All of a Sudden, also won the Cannes Best Actress award for its stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
Many major Hollywood studios stayed out of Cannes competition this year, as studio films from past years, such as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Megalopolis, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, performed below expectations at the box office after mixed-to-negative Cannes reviews.
But in doing so, they left space for arthouse studios such as Neon to dominate the conversation this year.
Though Neon won big with Fjord, the studio also faced harsh critical and audience reception of Her Private Hell, which is currently sitting at a 46% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 2.2 Letterboxd average rating.
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and set for a U.S. release on July 24, the film stars Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton and Havana Rose Liu in a futuristic metropolis where a mysterious mist engulfs the city and unleashes a deadly serial killer. This will be a movie to watch at the box office, to see if its negative reviews will impact its gross earnings.
2. ‘Club Kid’ Emerged As A Surprise Smash
Club Kid — the feature directorial debut from I Love L.A.’s Jordan Firstman, who also stars in the film — may be this year’s Cannes breakout hit, and it didn’t even compete.
