Every May, the world’s cinephiles turn their eyes to the French Riviera, where the Cannes Film Festival rolls out its red carpet for a parade of filmmakers, stars, and industry insiders. Over the past week, a certain ritual has captured the essence of nearly every headline associated with said event, once again: a standing ovation.

The importance of a standing ovation at Cannes is much more than the immediate reaction to a film. It has become a cultural barometer, a signal to the world about the film’s impact, and an unofficial competition for the longest, loudest tribute. In 2024, this long-standing tradition will continue to provoke fascination and debate, with each film’s reception measured in minutes of applause, like a game. But what does it really mean? Is this a true measure of a film’s merit, or just a reflection of the festival dynamics and art of schmoozing?

The origins of this practice are unclear, but the phenomenon gained notoriety in the early 2000s with moments such as the 22-minute ovation for Guillermo del Toro. pan’s Labyrinth in 2006 and 20 Minutes for Michael Moore Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004. These marathon clapping sessions became a thing of festival lore, influencing the trajectory of the films far beyond the Croisette.

Demi Moore and Coralie Farguet attend ‘The Substance’ photocall at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival, which receives an 11-minute standing ovation. Photo Credit: Christy Sparrow

Examining the ovation records of recent Palme d’Or winners reveals an interesting, though somewhat unexpected, metric of audience enthusiasm. Justin Trite’s anatomy of fall (2023) was given a standing ovation for seven minutes. Ruben Ostlund’s triangle of sorrow (2022) fared slightly better and received applause for eight minutes. Julia Ducournau’s Audacity titan (2021) applauded for a full ten minutes and Bong Joon-ho’s excellent performance parasite (2019) received a more restrained five-minute applause.

Fast forward to the present, the tradition does not seem to be evolving. Cannes audiences have become as adept at timing their applause as auteurs are at identifying cinema. The standing ovation has turned into a ritual, embedded in the DNA of the festival. Critics argue that the duration of ovations is as reliable as the weather forecast in Cannes and it would not be too foolish to suspect that the thunderous applause echoing through the Palais des Festivals stems from a collective fear of being left out of the zeitgeist. , Nevertheless, cheering provides a direct, immediate assessment of the audience’s collective mood.

Applause is more art than science. Different outlets use different methods (which explain the calculations differently): some start the clock when the credits roll, others wait until the house lights come up. Some even applaud as the audience rises to their feet, and stop when the applause subsides or the filmmaker begins to speak. Inconsistencies are inevitable, yet the search for precision continues.

But beyond timing, the composition of the audience affects applause. Cannes premieres are attended by a crowd of critics, industry insiders, high-profile guests and, lately, a disappointingly isolated social media influencers. But often, their applause can be more about celebrating the event or the celebrities in the room rather than the artistic merit of the film, with big names and veteran directors often enjoying longer applause.

Director Francis Ford Coppola, actors Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza pose during a photocall for the film ‘Megalopolis’, which received a seven-minute standing ovation at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo credit: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Last year, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon Set a high bar with your nine-minute standing ovation. Considering the film’s 206-minute runtime, this applause was as much about endurance as it was appreciation. Similarly, Francis Ford Coppola is also discussed a lot. Metropolitanin competition this year, received seven minutes of applause that felt like a tribute to the octogenarian’s veteran status, not his new passion project. Coppola’s influence also extended to the flamboyant style of Nic Cage, who led the audience at a midnight screening into a slog surfer And prolong the cheering.

While the authenticity of standing ovations as a measure of a film’s merits should perhaps be taken with skepticism, its marketing value is promising. The length of the applause can become a powerful promotional tool, signaling to potential audiences and distributors that the film has made a great impact.

However, historical data shows mixed results. movies like 2011 beaver and the 2012 the Paperboy It received widespread praise but was a critical and commercial failure. In contrast, record holder del Toro pan’s LabyrinthThe film, clocking in at 22 minutes, currently boasts a 95% Tomatometer score and a worldwide box office of $83.9 million, over a $19 million budget. Similarly, ‘O’ Hall of Fame runner-up, Fahrenheit 9/11 received a whopping 20 minutes with an 82% Tomatometer rating and an even more remarkable global box office haul of $222.4 million against a modest budget of $6 million.

Overall, standing ovation is a very curious phenomenon. Whether it increases a film’s chances of taking the top prize at Cannes, strengthens its awards season or boosts its box-office profits, the tradition persists, perhaps because it encapsulates the spirit of the festival. – A mixture of art, spectacle and a spirited mind, the fear of missing out, which scares every member of the audience.

Here’s a comprehensive list of every film that has received a standing ovation at Cannes 2024 so far, ranked in order of their standing ‘O’ duration:

Substance (in competition) – 11 minutes

Emilia Perez (in competition) – 10 minutes

Anora (in competition) – 10 minutes

Horizon: An American Saga (out of competition) – 10 minutes

Veteran 2 (I, the Executioner) (out of competition) – 10 minutes

Parthenope (in competition) – 9.5 minutes

marcelo mio (in competition) – 8.5 minutes

Bird (in competition) – 8 minutes

learner (in competition) – 8 minutes

Metropolitan (in competition) – 7 minutes

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (out of competition) – 7 minutes

surfer (out of competition) – 6 minutes

girl with needle (in competition) – 6 minutes

types of kindness (in competition) – 5 minutes

rumors (out of competition) – 5 minutes

Oh, Canada (in competition) – 4 minutes

Shroud (in competition) – 3.5 minutes

second act (out of competition) – 3.5 minutes

This list will be updated live as new films screen at Cannes 2024