The Palace (2023 film)

The Palace
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRoman Polanski
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPaweł Edelman
Edited byHervé de Luze
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
  • Eliseo Entertainment
  • Rai Cinema
  • CAB Productions
  • Lucky Bob
  • RP Productions
  • Agent Double
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 2 September 2023 (2023-09-02) (Venice)
  • 28 September 2023 (2023-09-28) (Italy)
  • 3 November 2023 (2023-11-03) (Poland)
  • 15 May 2024 (2024-05-15) (France)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • Switzerland
  • Poland
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Budget€17 million
Box office$972,161

The Palace is a 2023 black comedy film directed by Roman Polanski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jerzy Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska. The film stars Oliver Masucci, Fanny Ardant, John Cleese, Bronwyn James, Joaquim de Almeida, Luca Barbareschi, Milan Peschel, Fortunato Cerlino, and Mickey Rourke. It chronicles the mishaps of a 1999 New Year's Eve dinner party in the Gstaad Palace, from a penguin going loose in the hotel to the exploitation of the millennium bug for a guest's financial gain.

The film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2023, before it was released theatrically in Italy on 28 September 2023 by 01 Distribution. The film's release and promotion were impacted by the sexual abuse controversies surrounding Polanski. It received negative reviews from critics and became a box-office bomb, grossing $972,161 worldwide against a production budget of €17 million.