Cannes, France ? When you’re the world’s most famous cyborg, there’s no need to bring your movie along to make a fuss at the Cannes Film Festival.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was a main attraction at Cannes, though his sci-fi sequel “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” was still under wraps. With thousands of journalists and celebrity-watchers on hand, Schwarzenegger and other cast members used Cannes to build the buzz on the flick that opens July 2.

The Croisette, the main drag through Cannes, was closed to traffic Saturday in front of the ritzy Carlton Hotel, where hundreds of photographers and fans gathered to watch Schwarzenegger mug for the cameras with some of the robots featured in the movie.

The only actual footage from the film was a seven-minute reel of clips shown to journalists. But Schwarzenegger, whose first trip to the festival was in 1977 to promote his bodybuilding movie “Pumping Iron,” said he had come back many times to plug movies that were not playing the festival, including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

Such publicity stunts have become common at Cannes, where promotional blitzes for unfinished films often upstage movies actually competing in the festival.

Arnold Schwarzenegger poses next to a robot for the promotion of his new film Terminator

Two years ago, New Line Cinema fanned anticipation for the first chapter of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by showing about 25 minutes of footage to journalists and bringing in cast and crew for interviews at Cannes. Miramax did the same last year with “Gangs of New York.”

“Terminator 3” director Jonathan Mostow said the full movie was not ready in time for Cannes and that he and his collaborators decided against showing more than just a few minutes of footage.

Schwarzenegger closed his appearance before the Croisette crowd with a reprise of his most famous line from the first two “Terminator” movies.

“Remember, as I always say,” Schwarzenegger said, “I’ll be back.”