The cast of two of Columbia Pictures’ most anticipated films of year – the hostage actioner “Money Monster” and shark thriller “The Shallows” – have taken the Cannes Film Festival by storm by sheer star power.

The Croissette sizzled with incredible glamour and star power as “Money Monster” stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and director Jodie Foster descended on Cannes for a photocall Thursday morning (May 12), followed by a red carpet appearance for the premiere. The film is an official selection for the festival’s Out of Competition programme.

Julia Roberts, for the very first time, ascended the film industry’s most glamorous steps for the world premiere, while it was a homecoming for Jodie Foster who returned to Cannes, 40 years after her first visit for the classic “Taxi Driver.”

The gala presentation for “Money Monster” took place at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, and was concluded by a rapturous standing ovation.

In the taut and tense thriller “Money Monster,” Lee Gates (Clooney) is a bombastic TV personality whose popular financial network show has made him the money wiz of Wall Street. But after he hawks a high tech stock that mysteriously crashes, an irate investor (Jack O’Connell) takes Gates, his crew, and his ace producer Patty Fenn (Roberts) hostage live on air. Unfolding in real time, Gates and Fenn must find a way to keep themselves alive while simultaneously uncovering the truth behind a tangle of big money lies.

Meanwhile, “The Shallows” lead star Blake Lively cemented her reputation as the festival’s most stylish celebrity when she showed up for her photocall in a dreamy mini dress.

The actress has been seen in many glamorous looks during her three-day stint at the Croisette. After stunning in a range of formal, red-carpet-ready looks from many of her favorite designers, Blake went with something a little different for a Friday morning photocall on behalf of her new film “The Shallows.”

“I like dressing up. It’s fun,” Lively tells USA Today. “I don’t have a stylist. It’s very personal. It’s a lot of thought. I’m the one who goes online and finds the outfits, I call them in and try them all on. But I love that. That’s why I enjoy old Hollywood. There was beauty in the presentation.”

In “The Shallows,” Lively plays a woman surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills. It’s Jaws for a new generation.

“Money Monster” opens across the Philippines on May 25, to be followed by “The Shallows” later.