At the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS charity auction during the Cannes Film Festival, Russian businessman Vasily Klyukin dropped a staggering $1.5M to reserve his spot aboard Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic SpaceShipII. The package included three days of pre-flight training with DiCaprio in New Mexico, all leading up to a two-hour journey that would take them 68.3 miles above Earth.
The competition for these exclusive seats was fierce. Another bidder snatched up two more spots on the same flight, shelling out $2.3M. The high-stakes auction also featured an “Oscars experience,” which the same bidder bought for an additional $1.5M. The event, held at the glamorous Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, raised a record-breaking $25M for AIDS research — more than double the previous year’s total.
Leonardo DiCaprio was present at the dinner, surrounded by Hollywood heavyweights like Nicole Kidman and Christoph Waltz. Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein, ever the showman, hinted at the bidding war ahead.
“We’re going to get someone to bid on a seat next to him,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. He later joked that some in the industry might prefer to see him go to space on a one-way ticket.
At the time, Branson’s space tourism project was generating serious buzz. Virgin Galactic had already secured deposits from over 300 future space travelers, including at least 11 Russians, each paying $200K for the experience. The spacecraft’s successful engine tests in April 2013 had Branson feeling optimistic. “Anything is possible after today,” he said.
Only 500 people had ever traveled to space, and thanks to Virgin Galactic, that number was expected to climb. For those willing to part with the cash, the choice was simple – buy a house, or buy a ticket to the stars. Klyukin made his decision.
DiCaprio’s spaceflight never happened, as Virgin Galactic faced delays and setbacks in the years that followed. But for one night in Cannes, the dream of floating in zero gravity with a Hollywood icon was very real.
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