Brad Pitt and George Clooney hugged and danced at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday night, where the superstars' latest film, “Wolves,” received a four-minute standing ovation.
The premiere was delayed by more than 30 minutes as fans crowded Venice’s Sala Grande auditorium trying to catch a glimpse of Pitt and Clooney. When the duo finally made it inside, the sound — and the overall atmosphere — of the theater could only be described as physical. The actors walked to opposite sides of the red carpet, signed autographs and took selfies, before being ushered to their seats by security.
As the stars entered the theater, they were greeted by the eager audience with shouts of “Bonasera!”, prompting some fans to cheer back in hopes of being noticed. Even as the film began, the chaos continued, with those without tickets scrambling to find any empty seats. Some were ejected during the screening when latecomers entered.
When the film ended, Pitt and Clooney hugged tightly before dancing to Sade's “Smooth Operator.” Clooney then turned to his wife Amal, and they shared a sweet kiss before he returned to the spotlight.
The four-minute standing ovation may not have been as long as expected given the star power of Pitt and Clooney, but festival officials seemed keen to get audience members out of the theater given the late start time and wild energy of the premiere.
Written and directed by “Spider-Man” director Jon Watts (who had to miss the premiere after testing positive for COVID-19), the film stars Pitt and Clooney as two professionals who prefer to work alone but must team up after being hired for the same job. “Wolfs” also stars Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams and Poorna Jagannathan. Apple announced earlier this month that a sequel to the film is already in development with Watts and the two stars attached.
“Wolfs” marks Pitt and Clooney’s first film collaboration since the Cohen brothers’ 2008 black comedy “Burn After Reading.” Before that, the two starred in the “Ocean’s” franchise from 2001 to 2007. The actors have previously appeared at the Lido, with Clooney attending in 2009 for Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” Pitt screening David Fincher’s “Fight Club” in 1999 and winning a Volpi Award for best actor for his role in Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” in 2007.
In a recent GQ article, Pitt and Clooney discussed their long-standing friendship and the state of Hollywood today. “They didn’t develop stars the way the studio systems used to,” Clooney said. “We were at the end of that, where you could work in a studio and make three or four movies, and there was a plan. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case anymore. So it’s hard to sell someone something in exchange for a star.”
Following its Venice premiere, “Wolfs” will be released in theaters for a limited time starting September 20 before premiering on Apple TV+ on September 27.
