Step outside Le Palais des Festivals in Cannes this week, where Mipcom is in full swing, and you might do a double take. Because nestled between the conference center and the French Riviera is an exact (well, 90% scale) replica of Paramount Studios’ iconic Bronson Gate.
The model arch, affixed via cleverly concealed aluminium and wood scaffolding, is located at the entrance to the studio’s 6,000-square foot exhibition tent at the international content marketplace. “[We’ve had] a lot of comments, a lot of what looks like selfies — people taking photos in front of the gate,” says Lisa Lasarenko, Paramount’s SVP for marketing and creative services, who oversaw the build. “Because it’s a little bit of Hollywood in Cannes.”
On either side, the replica gate is bordered by a trompe l’oeil print of the Paramount Studios soundstages emblazoned with posters of some of the big ticket titles the company is selling at this year’s market, which is taking place Oct. 12-15, including “The Angry Birds Movie 3,” the Johnny Depp-led “Ebenezer” and “NCIS: New York.”
“We wanted to do something different,” Lasarenko says of the project, which took design agency Glow Studios around three weeks to build and ship over from the U.K. Glow founder James Schnauer even flew out to L.A. to photograph the arch so he could “reverse engineer the detail” and make a 3D-printed model. (The finished result is so detailed it includes the intricate filigrees found on the original.) “It feels like you’re having an experience and bring our clients something that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Lasarenko.
Paramount’s is not the only stand-out booth at this year’s confab, which is organized by RX France. The newly-expanded Banijay Entertainment, who occupy a prime position directly in front of the Palais on the Croisette, have returned with the same two-storey, wooden stand they first debuted in 2022, in keeping with its environmental mission.
Designed by architect Nicola Spinetto and created by Romain Larue from Orati, the eco-friendly structure — which resembles a chalet and is dubbed Banijay House — includes meeting rooms, a reception area and several terraces. Between Mipcoms it is flat-packed and kept in storage just outside Cannes. “We don’t use it for any other market,” says Andrew Dickens, Banijay’s communications and marketing EVP.
Meanwhile, overlooking the Riviera behind the Palais is Fremantle’s booth, which this year has been themed to reflect one of its biggest titles — “Baywatch.” Kitted out like a beachhouse, the exhibition stand is decorated with the show’s classic red life preservers, surfboards and even a lifeguard’s hut on the patio. (Fremantle’s “Baywatch”-emblazoned red tote bags, previously available at the booth’s front desk, have proved so popular they’ve been limited to clients only).
On the opposite end of the strip outside the Palais, toy brands Mattel, Hasbro and Pokemon occupy three adjacent stands. Mattel have opted for a simpler design look — a red tent with a large brand logo and some matching cushions scattered on the patio chairs outside — while next door Pokemon have gone for the “more is more” approach, with a booth covered in images of its multitudinous critters plus a small hedge pruned to look like a Pokeball by the door.
Although the stands inside the Palais are not as eye-catching (both Sony and Disney are tucked away on the third floor in bare-bones appointment-only booths), the country pavilions have added some pizazz to their exhibition spaces: Singapore’s stand is covered in dozens of orchids, bringing some much needed nature to the convention center’s otherwise stark basement, while China has been wowing passers-by with a full-size AI-powered humanoid robot on its reception. Billed as “Your 24/7 productivity partner,” the Agibot A3 has been chatting to attendees in French, English and Cantonese.
While the exhibitor stands are designed to be attention-grabbing, they also tell a story about the state of the industry. Five years ago, the first post-Covid Mipcom was “an understated affair,” as Variety noted in its 2021 market wrap, with few participants outside of Europe (overall it was estimated there were only about 4,500 attendees that year compared with 12,000 pre-pandemic) and modest booths. While the confab bounced back over the next few years (albeit dropping its spring counterpart MipTV along the way), the streaming wars saw studios largely hoarding content for their own global platforms, meaning there was little need to reel in international buyers, reducing the need for show-stopping floor space.
Although the industry has pivoted back to licensing, it’s consolidation that is now impacting the landscape — and the effects reverberate on the market floor. As part of Banijay and All3Media’s merger, which closed in July, the new joint entity inherited All3Media’s stand, which has been renamed Banijay Terrace and is being used for overspill. But Dickens is clear this will be “for one year only” – resulting in an empty space Mipcom will need to fill in 2027.
It remains to be seen whether Warner Bros. Discovery, who this year are in their usual beachfront spot in Ciro’s, will have to share tent-space next year with their new sister brand Paramount, following the recent acquisition by Skydance, or whether the brands will be permitted to exhibit independently.
In the meantime, what is Lasarenko planning to do with the replica Paramount arch? “We’re gonna keep it,” she says. “And find ways to use it.”