Harrison Ford feared that 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would be poorly received, despite its status as a major franchise revival. His concerns mattered because the film brought Indiana Jones back after nearly two decades, testing whether audiences still wanted the character beyond nostalgia.

Ford said the Cannes premiere felt risky because of its sophisticated French audience, and he also expected resistance from long-time Indiana Jones fans after The Last Crusade had appeared to conclude the story. The film nevertheless became a major box-office success and Ford’s highest-grossing release, although it later attracted sustained criticism that largely vindicated his worries about its reception.