{"id":2264597,"date":"2026-02-03T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2264597"},"modified":"2026-02-03T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:30:09","slug":"a-revival-of-the-indie-film-business-some-promising-signs-out-of-sundance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-revival-of-the-indie-film-business-some-promising-signs-out-of-sundance\/","title":{"rendered":"A revival of the indie film business? Some promising signs out of Sundance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It was a chilly, nostalgic and relatively hopeful last run in Park City, Utah, last week for the Sundance Film Festival, which is moving to Boulder, Colo.<\/p>\n

It was also my first time at the storied festival, and after chats with industry players around town and afterward, the picture that emerged was one of guarded optimism, despite the difficult landscape for theatrical films.<\/p>\n

So far, at least four deals were notched during the festival, including an old-fashioned bidding war for Olivia Wilde\u2019s comedy, \u201cThe Invite,\u201d which ended up going to indie studio A24<\/a> for about $10 million. <\/p>\n

Other films that sold include horror flick \u201cLeviticus,\u201d which Neon purchased for a reported seven figures, comedy-drama \u201cHa-Chan, Shake Your Booty!\u201d and drama \u201cBedford Park,\u201d both of which were acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for undisclosed prices.<\/p>\n

Industry insiders told me the rate of deals coming out of Sundance this time appeared slightly faster than in previous years.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve written before<\/a>, most recent acquisitions have taken place in the later days of the festival, if not in the weeks and months afterward. That\u2019s a consequence of the pandemic-fueled shift to online and Zoom-based dealmaking, as well as the slower and more careful consideration of films from distributors, which now weigh the commercial potential of these films against the very real risk of a soft response at the box office.<\/p>\n

Indie films face the same theatrical challenges as their more mainstream counterparts because moviegoing still hasn\u2019t bounced back to pre-pandemic numbers. <\/p>\n

That means if a film doesn\u2019t work, there\u2019s no longer a minimum for how little it can earn at the box office. For examples of that unpredictability, just look at films like \u201cThe Smashing Machine,\u201d which grossed a worldwide total of $21 million, or \u201cChristy,\u201d which made only $1.9 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are still making lots and lots of movies,\u201d said Paul Hardart, director of the entertainment, media and technology program at the NYU Stern School of Business. \u201cGetting people to watch them has never been harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Market uncertainty, however, hasn\u2019t stopped new distributors from entering the fray. Warner Bros. launched a specialty label just before Sundance that\u2019s helmed by former Neon executives. Santa Monica-based Black Bear expanded its operations to include U.S. distribution. Other new players include Row K Entertainment, 1-2 Special and Subtext.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are seeing a trend upside or opportunity, and that\u2019s why they are pushing in,\u201d said producer Justin Lothrop, head of film and television at media group Votiv, which was behind Sundance favorite \u201cWicker,\u201d starring Olivia Colman.<\/p>\n

Those entrants have boosted filmmakers\u2019 confidence in the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve come out of a time in the independent space where it felt like a very contracted buying market,\u201d said Amy Beecroft, head of Verve Venture Group at Verve Talent & Literary Agency. \u201cTo have these new companies be sitting alongside really great, established distributors … is really helpful in creating a real marketplace.\u201d <\/p>\n

Verve represents musician Moby\u2019s production company Little Walnut, which premiered Scotland-set comedy \u201cThe Incomer\u201d at Sundance. The film stars Domhnall Gleeson as a bureaucrat who\u2019s tasked with relocating the last two residents of a remote island, and its first screening attracted interest from buyers. Beecroft said the company was \u201cpleased with the activity,\u201d though she declined to disclose more details.<\/p>\n

Could these good feelings mean a jump start to the indie business?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re definitely seeing some good signs of life,\u201d said Deborah McIntosh, co-head of WME Independent, who represented the filmmakers of \u201cLeviticus\u201d in their deal with Neon. \u201cOverall, business is feeling great, continuing into a space where we can do more than we\u2019ve seen in the past 18 months.\u201d<\/p>\n

And beyond the traditional distributors is a growing belief in the indie film world that self-distribution is becoming a viable option, if you can prove there is a following or community for your film, said Joe Pichirallo, an arts professor at NYU\u2019s Tisch School of the Arts and one of original executives who set up Searchlight Pictures.<\/p>\n

Though the typical route was to raise money from family, friends and investors, get to Sundance and hope for a deal, digital distributors such as Filmhub have made it so \u201cthat\u2019s not your only option today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A new leader for the Mouse House?<\/h2>\n

After much speculation and a lot of scrutiny, Walt Disney Co. could name a successor to chief executive Bob Iger as soon as this week. Theme parks boss Josh D\u2019Amaro is considered the frontrunner.<\/p>\n

My colleague Meg James has written about the high stakes of this search<\/a>. The last time Iger passed the mantle, his replacement got bounced, and Iger returned to lead the company once again.<\/p>\n

His successor faces a tough Hollywood landscape, rife with questions about the continued decline of traditional broadcast television and box office ticket sales.<\/p>\n

Among the many challenges facing the new leader will be to build out the company\u2019s streaming services and keep the profits flowing in the vital theme parks and resorts business.<\/p>\n

On a fiscal first quarter earnings call Monday, Disney executives noted that international visitation to its domestic parks was facing headwinds.<\/p>\n

Stuff We Wrote<\/h2>\n

Film shoots<\/h2>\n
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