The Cannes Festival isn’t just the greatest film festival in the world: it’s also a major commercial player driving the local economy and ensuring the livelihood of thousands.

Here’s a look at the arithmetic:

$25,000: that’s the estimated value of the Palme D’Or.
$50,000: poney up and you will get the most expensive penthouse at the Majestic Hotel in Cannes, with his own pool and breathtaking views of the sea.
60 feet of red carpet draped across 24 stairs (the famous red carpet, which the French refer to as “les marches,” i.e., the stairs).
52 films in the Official Selection
20 films competing for the Palme D’Or
10 films presented at Critics’ Week
18 films shown during the Directors’ Fortnight
3,160 jobs created
2,800 haircuts to prim up the gorgeous actresses and guests attending the premieres
2,300: the number of seats in the Grand Theatre Lumiere.
700 Palais des Festival employees on the payroll, including 300 for the market
4,800 journalists, including 300 television stations
700 policemen and four tactical teams (riots, etc).
13, 000 m2 of market pastures (located down in the Palais’s lower level)
600 exhibitors
1,500 screenings in 34 theaters
USD $1BN in total sales
USD $20M budget
85,000 hotels rooms rented (the festival is responsible for 15% of the industry’s yearly benefits)
20,000 plants
Countless flutes of champagne poured and consumed
Untold amount of very-strong expressos doled out via the two Nespresso cafes located inside the Palais.

Follow us on Twitter @screencomment and Instagram during 15-26 May as we bring you the 66th Cannes Festival.