Wes Andersson's Asteroid City premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation on May 23 at the the Grand Théatre Lumière. Featuring an ensemble cast shot during August and October 2021, the film is set in 1955 where 3070 years ago  an asteroid fell to earth in the US southwest desert populated by saguara and mesas. To commemorate this landing, Asteroid City is home to the national Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention attended by parents and students on annual Asteroid Day. It is also the site of a US government astronomical observatory.

As a huge dark grey mushroom cloud appears in the horizon, the visitors to Asteroid City become subject to a lockdown.  The threat of an event eclipsing the atomic testing of the 1950's sends the guests into panic.