CANNES, France _ As Cannes Film Festival attendees carried on their work with a heavy heart Tuesday, the Manchester bombing has also had an effect on at least one studio's marketing plans.
Focus Features has ?decided to postpone the trailer launch of "Victoria and Abdul" _ a fact-based drama about a Muslim Indian immigrant to England who becomes? a close confidante to Queen Victoria _ in the wake of the attack.
The Universal subsidiary was set to release a tease to the poster ?Tuesday and a video trailer Wednesday.
But when executives at Cannes heard the news about the bombing at the Ariana Grande concert, they decided to postpone the launch to next week, said a person close to the plans who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to talk about them publicly.
The person cited a mix of reasons for the decision, including the fact that the film is an English-centric story as well as the notion that the bombings had attracted the attention of a media-savvy adult demographic, also the intended audience for the film.
?Starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, "Victoria and Abdul"? is set for release in the U.S. and U.K. in September. It tells a cross-cultural story of two people from vastly different classes and religions forging a close relationship.
Focus, which has a strong presence at Cannes ahead of the premiere of Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled" on Wednesday, has also been promoting "Victoria and Abdul" here. At an upfront-style event on the beach Friday, executives touted the movie as an upscale but accessible drama with mainstream appeal.
