Indy faces his toughest nemesis yet: the Cannes crowd

Anyone expecting the new Indiana Jones film to be the highlight of the Cannes Film festival, celebrated with an appropriately lavish launch party, had better think again. It seems the makers of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are less certain about its qualities than the pre-publicity suggested and have now decided to throw a small party for just 250 people rather than the big bash that had been expected.

The decision comes amid reports that studio executives, who were shown the film in Los Angeles last week, have been less than positive. According to the industry magazine Variety, Indiana Jones "faces a challenge more terrifying and dangerous than anything else he's encountered on screen: the Cannes crowd".

Even George Lucas, the film's writer and executive producer, has been lowering audience expectations in interviews. In one, he said: "When you do a movie like this, a sequel that's very, very anticipated, people anticipate ultimately that it's going to be the Second Coming. And it's not. It's just a movie. You're not going to get a lot of accolades doing a movie like this. All you can do is lose."

The three earlier Indiana films grossed between them $1.2 billion, so expectations are high. The new film is set in the 1950s, with archaeological adventurer Indy now a Second World War hero. Harrison Ford is back in action aged 65, although this time he has a young sidekick, played by Shia LaBeouf. His adversaries are the Russians, and Cate Blanchett (pictured) plays a Soviet agent. There are also roles for British actors Ray Winstone, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent.

If the film does flop, it will be bad news for Ford, Lucas and the director Steven Spielberg. As The First Post revealed earlier this week, all three are on a deal which gives them no upfront fee, but a huge share of the profits once revenue passes the $400m mark. ·