Pitt and Clooney take Venice by storm as ‘Wolfs’ earns standing ovation

Brad Pitt and George Clooney took center-stage at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday night, where their latest film, "Wolfs", received a four-minute standing ovation. The Hollywood icons, who hadn't co-starred since 2008's "Burn After Reading", embraced and danced to Sade's "Smooth Operator" as the audience applauded their performance.

The event, held at the Sala Grande, experienced a delayed start as eager fans packed the venue, hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars. The atmosphere was electrifying, with the crowd buzzing as Pitt and Clooney made their entrance. Both actors spent time interacting with fans, signing autographs, and posing for selfies before security guided them to their seats.

Despite the film's star power, the standing ovation, while enthusiastic, lasted only four minutes—a modest duration by Venice standards. Festival organizers appeared eager to move the crowd along due to the late start and the lively, sometimes unruly, atmosphere.

"Wolfs", directed by Jon Watts of "Spider-Man" fame, stars Pitt and Clooney as rival professional fixers forced to collaborate on a shared assignment. The film, produced by Apple Original Films, also features Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan. Though Watts couldn't attend the premiere due to testing positive for COVID-19, the film generated significant buzz, with Apple already announcing a sequel in development.

The premiere comes just days after Angelina Jolie, Pitt's ex-wife, showcased her latest project, "Maria", at the same festival. Her film garnered an eight-minute standing ovation and sparked early Oscar buzz. While Pitt refrained from commenting on their ongoing divorce and recent allegations of abuse in court documents, the hashtag #BradPittIsAnAbuser trended on social media platform X following the premiere of Wolfs.

Pitt and Clooney have long been friends and collaborators, having previously worked together on the Ocean's trilogy from 2001 to 2007. In a recent GQ interview, Clooney reflected on the changing dynamics of Hollywood, stating, "They haven't developed stars the way the studio system used to… We kind of were at the very end of that." Both actors have previously graced the Venice Film Festival, with Clooney attending for "The Men Who Stare at Goats" in 2009, and Pitt premiering "Fight Club" in 1999 and earning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor in 2007 for "The Assassination of Jesse James" by the Coward Robert Ford.

Following its Venice debut, "Wolfs" will be released in select theaters on September 20 before streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 27.

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