Penelope Cruz broke out into uncontrollable sobs as she kissed her husband and co-star Javier Bardem during the incredibly long 15.5-minute standing ovation at the premiere of “Bunker” at the Venice Film Festival Tuesday night.
That made “Bunker” the winner of Venice 2026 (so far) for the most enthusiastic reception, and it fell just shy of one of the longest standing ovations of recent memory for Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door’ (which had the Lido crowd clapping for 17 minutes in 2024).
As the ovation raged on past the 10-minute mark, Cruz mouthed “Thank you!” to fans and paused to shake the hand of one particularly enthusiastic admirer behind her. As they finally made their exit, Cruz paused on the way out of the Palazzo del Cinema to say “Ciao!” to fans and graciously accept their praise. Director Florian Zeller instructed his cast, which included Patrick Schwarzenegger and Paul Dano, to individually step forward and receive applause during the ecstatic reception.
“Bunker” stars Bardem and Cruz as a married couple navigating professional and personal turmoil in the London home they share with their kids. Their marriage begins to unravel after Miguel, an architect, agrees to build a survivalist bunker for Andrew, a tech billionaire played by Dano. The morally dubious assignment opens up a rift between the couple after 17 years together, as Sofia begins questioning whether they still share the same values and starts working with a handsome American novelist Jeremy Gray (Schwarzenegger).
