Ana de Armas' highly anticipated Marilyn Monroe biopicBlondemade its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival, and after its first screening, the Netflix film received a 14-minute long standing ovation.
Blondehas become one of the most anticipated movies of the year, with a reportedly stellar performance by de Armas. The film is based on famed author Joyce Carol Oates' novel about the life of troubled Hollywood icon Monroe. Although it is aNetflixproject, the streamer is putting its full weight behind a marketing campaign and limited theatrical screenings in film festivals and major cities, all of which are undoubtedly intended to increase the film’s chances to win big at thenext Academy Awards.
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Blondemade its official premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. After its debut screening on Thursday night,Blondereceived a 14-minute long standing ovation, during which de Armas, director Andrew Dominik, and the rest of the cast were reportedly in tears, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. The applause was the longest of any movie shown at the festival so far and was especially focused on de Armas.
When it comes to standing ovations at international film festivals, however, it’s important to keep the context in mind. At times standing ovations can be almost expected, and are in fact relatively commonplace. Because the filmmakers are in the audience and because the seats are often filled by friends, colleagues, and fans, it is not at all unusual for the room to congratulate the filmmakers with excessive applause.
For example, several other films at Venice this year have made headlines for their standing ovations. Martin McDonagh’s character dramaThe Banshees of Inisherinreceived 13 minutes of applause, Hugh Jackman’sThe Sonreceived 10 minutes, the controversial Timothée Chalamet cannibal romanceBones and Allreceived 8.5, the Darren Aronofsky andBrendan Fraser filmThe Whalegot 6 minutes, andDon’t Worry Darlingreceived only 4 minutes before Florence Pugh left the room.
With this said, the impressive length ofBlonde’s standing ovation is an indicator that the film will, at least to some degree, meet its high expectations. This seems to be confirmed by the reviews flowing in from critics present at the festival, which are largely positive.Blondeholds an 87% on RottenTomatoes as of this writing, with critics praising its overwhelming emotional power. Those who speak negatively of the film for the most partcriticize its portrayal of Monroepurely as a victim with no control over her life.
Blondewill have a limited theatrical release on September 16 and 23 and will be available to stream on Netflix starting July 07, 2025.
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