Neon sets US release date for Palme d’Or winner ‘Anora’

Neon has scheduled an October 18 release for Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora.

• ‘Anora’: Cannes Review

Mikey Madison stars as a sex worker from Brooklyn who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch, triggering a tumultuous series of events. The film also stars Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, and Yura Borisov.

US box office currently trails 2023 by more than 23% after a disappointing start to the summer season and embattled cinema owners will welcome the addition of a well-reviewed film that has been described as Baker’s most commercial to date.

Anora marks the fifth year in a row that a film distributed in the US via Neon has won the top prize in Cannes after Anatomy Of A Fall, Triangle Of Sadness, Titane, and Parasite.

The previous four films all opened in October. Baker’s top perfomer at the US box office remains 2017 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection The Florida Project on $5.9m.

FilmNation handles international sales.

• The Palme d’Or whisperer: Neon’s Jeff Deutchman on the company’s Cannes strategy