A selection of the new films that premiered at Cannes in 2025

Something that’s always guaranteed to make headlines at the Cannes Film Festival (besides the star-studded red carpets) is those seemingly never-ending standing ovations.

In what has become tradition to measure audience reception to a buzzy new film premiering at Cannes, each year we hear of the rapturous applause from the stars and cinema-lovers in attendance, which can range anywhere from between a couple minutes all the way to 22 minutes (an impressive record held by 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth).

Since becoming a custom at the festival, pretty much every film gets a generous round of claps as a mark of respect, meaning it can be a little tricky to decipher exactly which ones actually going to live up to the hype.

If you’re looking for the latest applause dispatch from the French Riviera, here’s the top rankings so far…

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

What’s it about?Tom Cruise says farewell to agent Ethan Hunt for his (potentially) final performance in the sprawling action franchise

Length of standing ovation: Between five to seven-and-a-half minutes, according to differing reports

What the critics are saying?The Independent called the final instalment in the franchise a “massive Tom Cruise ego trip” that their critic nonetheless “absolutely adored”. The Guardian agreed that it was a “wildly entertaining adventure”.

Highest 2 Lowest

What’s it about?:Denzel Washington stars in Spike Lee’s neo-noir crime thriller about a music mogul who gets targeted by a ransom plot.

Length of standing ovation: Six minutes

What the critics are saying?The Independent said the film was “short on emotional depth”, while The Guardian argued Denzel was on “magnificent form”.

Eddington

What’s it about? Hereditary and Midsommar director Ari Aster is taking a hard turn away from the horror genre (at least in the traditional sense), with a new star-studded Western set in a........

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