Ana de Armas' highly anticipated Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde made its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival, and after its first screening, the Netflix film received a 14-minute long standing ovation.

Blonde has 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 a Netflix project, 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 the next Academy Awards.

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Blonde made its official premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. After its debut screening on Thursday night, Blonde received a 14-minute long standing ovation, during which de Armas, director Andrew Dominik, and the rest of the cast were reportedly in tears, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The applause was the longest of any movie shown at the festival so far and was especially focused on de Armas.

blonde on set recreating a famous shot ana de armas
Netflix

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 drama The Banshees of Inisherin received 13 minutes of applause, Hugh Jackman's The Son received 10 minutes, the controversial Timothée Chalamet cannibal romance Bones and All received 8.5, the Darren Aronofsky and Brendan Fraser film The Whale got 6 minutes, and Don't Worry Darling received only 4 minutes before Florence Pugh left the room.

With this said, the impressive length of Blonde'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. Blonde holds 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 part criticize its portrayal of Monroe purely as a victim with no control over her life.

Blonde will have a limited theatrical release on September 16 and 23 and will be available to stream on Netflix starting September 28, 2022.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter