CANNES | The business of movies is still alive, but it is getting more selective, more global and less dependent on the old studio playbook.
Reuters reported that the Cannes Film Market opened with record turnout of about 16,000 participants. The market runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival and functions as one of the industry’s major dealmaking hubs for film buyers, sellers, financiers and distributors.
The striking detail is not simply attendance. It is the kind of films drawing attention. Reuters reported that focus has shifted toward smaller, artistically ambitious projects, often with budgets around $10 million to $15 million, as studios continue to limit the number of major broad-release bets.
That tells a bigger entertainment story. Hollywood is not just deciding what to make; it is deciding what risk still makes sense. Streaming changed viewing habits, theaters are still rebuilding audience patterns, and younger moviegoers are rewarding certain genres while ignoring others.
The Cannes market also shows how international buyers remain central. A film that is not a giant U.S. tentpole can still build a business case if global rights, festival positioning, genre identity and financing line up.
The creative side is also wrestling with AI. Reuters reported earlier this week that AI was a topic at Cannes, including comments from Demi Moore that fighting AI outright may be a losing battle. That does not mean the industry agrees on how to use it. It means the conversation is now unavoidable.
What remains unclear is whether smaller films can consistently break through in theaters or whether they become a prestige pipeline for streaming, festivals and targeted theatrical runs.
Cannes is often a glamour story. This year, the more important story may be discipline: smaller budgets, clearer audiences, global buyers and a film industry trying to find the middle ground between art and risk.