Brad Pitt and George Clooney hugged and danced at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday night as the megastars’ latest film, “Wolfs,” received a polite four-minute standing ovation.

The premiere itself was delayed by more than 30 minutes as fans crowded into Venice’s Sala Grande to catch a glimpse of Pitt and Clooney. When the duo finally arrived inside, the sound – and general vibe – in the theater could only be described as sensual. Both actors moved to opposite sides of the carpet, signing autographs and taking selfies before being led to their seats by security staff.

As the two stars entered the theater, they greeted the eager crowd with a thunderous “Buonasera!”, prompting some fans to shout back in the hope of being noticed. Even as the film began, the chaos continued, with those without tickets desperately trying to find a free seat. Some were thrown out during the first scenes of the film as latecomers entered.

As the crime thriller’s credits rolled, Pitt and Clooney embraced before dancing to Sade’s “Smooth Operator.” Clooney then turned to his wife Amal and the two shared a tender kiss. Then he and Pitt walked down the stairs from the theater balcony where they were sitting to greet cheering fans.

The four-minute ovation may not have been as long as one might have expected given the star-studded cast of Pitt and Clooney, but given the late start of the premiere and the unbridled energy, it seemed that the festival’s organizers were keen to get the audience out of the cinema.

Pitt landed in Venice just two days after his ex Angelina Jolie premiered her latest film, “Maria,” here, which opened to an eight-minute standing ovation and Oscar buzz. Neither mentioned their long-pending divorce, and Pitt was not asked at a press conference Sunday about court documents alleging “a history of physical abuse by Jolie” in their marriage. (The hashtag #BradPittIsAnAbuser trended on social media platform X shortly after the premiere of “Wolfs.”)

The script and direction are by Spider-Man director Jon Watts (who had to miss the premiere due to a positive COVID test). In the Apple Original Films action comedy, Pitt and Clooney play two professional fixers who prefer to work alone but must come together after being hired for the same job. “Wolfs” also stars Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams and Poorna Jagannathan. A sequel to the film with Watts and the two stars is already in the works, Apple announced earlier this month.

“Wolfs” marks the first time Pitt and Clooney have starred together in a film since the Coen brothers’ 2008 black comedy “Burn After Reading.” Before that, the pair co-starred in the “Ocean’s” franchise from 2001 to 2007. Both actors have graced the Lido before: Clooney was there for Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats” in 2009, and Pitt attended the premiere of David Fincher’s “Fight Club” in 1999 and won the Volpi Cup for best actor in 2007 for Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”

In a recent cover story for GQ, Pitt and Clooney discussed their long-standing friendship and the state of Hollywood today. “They didn’t develop stars the way the studio system used to,” Clooney said. “We were kind of at the end of where you could work at a studio and make three or four movies, and there was some plan for it. And I don’t think that’s necessarily the case today. So it’s harder for you to sell someone something on the back of a star.”

Following its premiere in Venice, Wolfs will have a limited run in theaters starting September 20 before premiering on Apple TV+ on September 27.