It may be cold at the Sundance Film Festival but the sales market is hotter than ever thanks to a combination of commercial titles and deep-pocketed streamers hungry for content.
After sitting out last year’s Sundance following its splashy pre-festival acquisition ofLife Itself(which didnotwork out), Amazon Studios returned to the festival with an open checkbook, ready to spend. And spend they did, parting with$47 millionin Park City, which is more money than I think any studio has ever spent at the fest. The studio made its move early, pouncing onNisha Ganatra’sLate NightstarringMindy KalingandEmma Thompson, as well asScott Z. Burns’The ReportstarringAdam Driver,Annette BeningandJon Hamm. A few days later, it represented the finish line forBrittany Runs a Marathon, a comedy starringJillian Bellfrom playwrightPaul Downs Colaizzo, who based the story on his roommate. Before the festival officially ended, Amazon had also picked up the documentaryOne Child Nationin a high-six-figure deal, and shelled out $5 million for worldwide rights toShia LaBeouf’s autobiographical dramaHoney BoyfeaturingNoah JupeandLucas Hedges.
Prior to this year, Amazon’s track record as a buyer at Sundance included domestic rights toThe Big Sickfor $12 million andManchester by the Seafor $10 million. This year, with new Amazon bossJennifer Salkedetermined to make her mark and strengthen the studio’s slate, the well-financed distributor spent $13 million for U.S. rights toLate Nightand $14 million apiece for worldwide rights to bothBrittany(produced by Tobey Maguire) andThe Report.Late Nightseems to have the most commercial potential, as most critics found it to be a charming crowdpleaser in which screenwriter Kaling plays a new writer for a late night talk show hosted by Thompson.The Reportcouldn’t be more different, as it tells the true story ofDaniel Jones’ and his exhaustive six-year investigation into the CIA’s use of torture on suspected terrorists. Driver is red-hot coming off his Oscar nomination forBlacKkKlansman, and he also has a little movie calledStar Wars: Episode IXcoming out later this year, which could give him a little extra boost come awards time.
Just like last year, when it boughtAssassination NationandThree Identical Strangers,Tom QuinnandTim League’s Neon has been extremely active thus far at Sundance, where it spent roughly $2 million to acquire theRiley Keoughhorror movieThe Lodge. Directed by Goodnight Mommy filmmakersSeverin FialaandVeronika Franzand produced by FilmNation,The Lodgefinds Keough snowed in with her two future stepchildren when her psychological demons from her childhood begin to resurface. Neon also picked upAlejandro Landes' survival thrillerMonos, which starsJulianne Nicholsonas an American woman held hostage by a young group of soldiers and rebels training on a remote mountain in Latin America.
Neon also picked up a couple of partners in Park City, teaming with Topic Studios to acquire domestic rights toJulius Onah’s psychological dramaLuce, which the director co-wrote withJC Lee(based on Lee’s play) and shot in 35mm.Naomi WattsandTim Rothplay a couple whose adopted son, Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) completes a school assignment that worries one of his teachers (Octavia Spencer), leading to questions about identity, individuality and race. Neon also teamed with Hulu on a mid-seven-figure deal to acquire the zombie comedyLittle MonstersstarringLupita Nyong’o,Alexander EnglandandJosh Gad. Deadline wrote that theAbe Forsythe-directed movie plays likeZombielandmeetsKindergarten Cop, and it will receive a theatrical release before ultimately landing on the streaming service.
Hulu also bought theUntitled Amazing Johnathan Documentaryon its own for a cool $2 million. Directed byBen Berman, the film examines the unique life of the famed magician, whose career soared in the 1980s before he was forced to retire after being diagnosed with a terminal heart condition and given one year to live. Three years later, Berman filmed the illusionist’s epic comeback tour, which featured plenty of surprises.
Outside of arthouse divisions Fox Searchlight and Focus, the major Hollywood studios typically leave Sundance empty-handed, as wide release films can be harder to find at the indie fest. But that’s not the case this year, as New Line took a risk and bought worldwide rights to festival darlingBlinded by the Light, a coming-of-age movie set to the music ofBruce Springsteen. The film hails fromGurinder Chadha, the director ofBend It Like Beckham, and follows a 16-year-old Pakistani boy growing up England in 1987, when his life is transformed by the music of The Boss, which inspires him to become a writer and gives him the courage to stand up to local bullies, as well as his own father. Interestingly enough, New Line reportedly beat out several suitors including Fox Searchlight, whose executives are on the ground in Park City looking for films even as the Fox-Disney merger looms.
A24 wasn’tjustin selling mode, however, as the edgy distributor also boughtLulu Wang’s Chinese wedding comedyThe FarewellstarringAwkwafina. Every studio in Holllywood is eager to get into business with theCrazy Rich Asiansstar and A24 seems like the perfect home for this film, based on the success it had with films likeLady BirdandEighth Grade.
Elsewhere, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the documentariesDavid Crosby: Remember My NameandWhere’s My Roy Cohn. The latter film, which concerns the New York attorney who died of AIDS-related complications in 1986, hails fromMatt Tyrnauer, who directed two of last year’s buzziest documentaries,Studio 54andScotty and theSecret History of Hollywood.A.J. Eatondirected theCrosbydocumentary, which was produced byCameron Croweand sold for low-seven-figures.
Speaking of low-seven-figure deals,Gavin Hood’s whistleblower dramaOfficial Secretssold to IFC Films for just under $2 million. The film starsKeira Knightleyas a British Secret Service officer who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Ralph Fiennesco-stars alongsideMatt Smith,Matthew GoodeandRhys Ifans.
Meanwhile, The Orchard (which will soon be renamed) and its new financiers 1091 Media boughtBritt PoultonandDan Madison Savage’s Appalachian thrillerThem That Followas well asHalston, a documentary about the famous fashion designer. The Orchard previously worked withHalstondirectorFrédéric Tchengon the acclaimed 2015 documentaryDior and I, which turned a tidy profit by grossing $1.1 million at the box office, and the distributor will be hoping for similar results here.Them That Followconcerns members of an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers who risk their lives to attest themselves before God.Walton GogginsandAlice Englertstar alongside this year’s Oscar hopefulOlivia Colman(The Favourite), while the supporting cast includesKaitlyn Dever,Jim Gaffigan,Thomas MannandLewis Pullman.
Amazon and Hulu aren’t the only active streamers at Sundance, as Apple has acquired global rights toMinhal Baig’sHala. The drama stars talented up-and-comerGeraldine Viswanathan(Blockers) and was executive produced byJada Pinkett Smith. Netflix also made its presence felt in Park City with its acquisition ofRachel Lears' documentaryKnock Down the Housefeaturing rising politicianAlexandria Ocasio-Cortezas well as other progressive candidates who try to take on the establishment. Apparently there has been a bidding war brewing all week for this title between Netflix and its streaming rivals Amazon and Hulu, as well as Sony Pictures Classics. While the latter distributor initially had the upper hand, as the filmmakers were seeking “robust theatrical distribution” perVariety, the bidding escalated and when that happens, Netflix typically wins. The Big Red ‘N’ reportedly paid a jaw-dropping $10 million for the AOC doc, which is a lot for a non-fiction film, but clearly she has struck a chord with the public and the media, making the film a must-see for many.
That wasn’t the only splashy deal Netflix made, as shortly after the festival, the streamer nabbedZac Efron’sTed BundymovieExtremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evilin a reported $9 million deal. Netflix is planning a fall release for the film, which garnered mostly positive reviews on the strength of Efron’s creepy performance. The film is a great fit for Netflix, which just releasedThe Ted Bundy Tapesfrom the same director,Joe Berlinger. They know exactly how many people watched that non-fiction series and who those people are, so clearly they thought it was worth it to acquire the Efron movie.
Netflix also picked up the documentaryAmerican Factoryabout General Motors, and gave the Indian anthology drama seriesDelhi Crimea two-season order. The series makes its world premiere Tuesday night at Sundance as part of the festival’s Indie Episodic section before hitting Netflix on March 22. The first season is reportedly inspired by the Delhi Police’s December 2012 investigation into the horrific gang rape of a young woman, which reverberated across India and the rest of the world.
Finally, National Geographic spent $3 million to acquire theLeonardo DiCaprio-produced documentarySea of Shadows, whileAva DuVernay’s ARRAY banner acquiredMERATA: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, a documentary about the late Māori filmmakerMerata Mita. Not only was she the first Indigenous woman in the world to direct a film on her own, but she served as a longtime advisor to the Sundance Institute and actually has a Sundance fellowship named after her. It marks the 20th feature film acquisition for ARRAY, which DuVernay launched nine years ago.
There are still a few high-profile acquisition titles still available, including comedyBig Time AdolescencestarringPete Davidson. Stay tuned for more sales from Park City, and we’ll continue to update the list below.
A24-The Farewell
Amazon Studios-Brittany Runs a Marathon;Honey Boy;Late Night;One Child Nation;The Report
Apple-Hala
HBO Films-Native Son;Share
Hulu-Untitled Amazing Johnathan Documentary
IFC Films-Official Secrets
National Geographic-Sea of Shadows
Neon-Little Monsters(with Hulu);The Lodge;Luce(with Topic Studios);Monos
Netflix-American Factory;Delhi Crime; Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile; I Am Mother; Knock Down the House
