In the world of celebrity, Cannes Film Festival is known for two things: over-the-top fashion moments and excessive standing ovations.
Since the festival’s new dress code bans theatrical extravagance — including long trains and naked dresses — invested fans are left to entertain themselves with reports of the amount of time our favorite stars spent clapping for the new films.
While it’s unknown where the practice of extended applause at Cannes originated, film buffs have clung onto the practice as a litmus test for a film’s success and awards potential — on par with the festival’s coveted Palme d’Or award. (The current record is held by Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, with a reported 22 minutes of clapping at the 2006 festival.)
Take last year for example: The Substance, Emilia Pérez and Anora were among the films with the longest standing ovations at Cannes — reportedly 11, 10 and nine minutes, respectively — and the trifecta of films went on to score 24 nominations total. However, Anora took home the most coveted Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards despite having the lowest applause total of the three.
Whether it’s a perfect science or not, we remain fascinated by the event’s standing ovation culture, and Us Weekly has broken down the applause totals from this year’s festival (May 13-May 24) in our Cannes Clap-o-Meter:
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