FLOP No. 46 – Cannes Walkouts (2000s–2010s)
GatheringPoint.new: The 50 Biggest Flops in Event History
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The Promise: Cannes Film Festival—the highest-profile film debut stage in the world. Prestigious, curated, and globally covered.
What Happened: Films like The Brown Bunny (2003), Southland Tales (2006), and Only God Forgives (2013) triggered walkouts, boos, and critical disaster. What should’ve been anointed moments became headline flops.
What Failed: Programming overreached. PR miscalculated tone. Films weren’t ready for that stage.
What We Learned: When the crowd turns, prestige doesn’t save you.
What an Event Pro Would’ve Advised: Screen for friendlies first. Prep the cast for fallout. Don’t use Cannes as a test audience.
