[Cannes Dispatch by Eugene Hernandez]

Buyers have been buzzing about Woody Allen's latest, "Match Point", since its premiere here in Cannes on Thursday. The head of one studio specialty division told me that evening that the price for the film, however, may simply be too high for a Woody Allen movie. Variety's Ian Mohn reports today that HanWay, which is handling the movie, is asking some $7 million for U.S. rights to the movie.

The specialty chief said that as good as the film is, it lacks the sort of star power that would command a high price. Some have compared "Match Point" (perhaps unfairly) to Allen's "Crime and Misdemeanors". That film was released by Orion in 1989 and earned $18 million. Asked to blindly predict which company might end up acquiring the film, an acquisitions exec from a smaller distribution outfit projected that either The Weinstein Company or Fox Searchlight would probably make the deal.

Certainly, such a predication, made just a few hours after the showing, was not based on any inside info, but pure speculation. Numerous buyers and other attendees have expressed tremendous praise for Allen's latest, many calling it his best movie in many years. A few others have disagreed, but overall reactions seem quite positive.