Theatrical Distribution
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Upstream and Downstream: 5 Observations about Independent Film Distribution at the 2016 Midpoint
The following article appears in our Spring, 2016 print edition and is appearing from behind our paywall today for the first time. Will 2016 be remembered as the year that Amazon and Netflix gobbled up the indie film market? Probably. While the two online behemoths could always change their strategies in the next several months, the ramifications of their first quarter dominance stretched far and wide, sending shockwaves through the business. But there were other changes afoot, as well. Here are five industry trends that continue to linger long after Park City. 1. The Enduring Impact of Amazon and Netflix Okay, Amazon […]
by Anthony Kaufman on Jun 16, 2016 -
The New York Times Announces It Will No Longer Guarantee Coverage of New Releases
Variety just announced that The New York Times will no longer guarantee critical coverage of every weekly release throughout the five boroughs, perhaps putting an end to, if not a damper on, the long debated practice of four walling. While the decision — gleaned via an email A.O. Scott sent to independent distributors — will likely see smaller companies pulling back on the financially draining one-week theatrical runs and shifting their attention toward VOD, it also ensures a considerable drop in profile for these lesser known releases. A handful of sites like The Dissolve have begun to fold VOD releases into their coverage, but it doesn’t appear that The Times will be […]
by Sarah Salovaara on May 21, 2015 -
“Theatrical is Still the Event that Brands a Property for Decades of Downstream Consumption”: The Business of Media Distribution Author Jeff Ulin
Jeff Ulin, a former executive at Lucasfilm and Paramount, has spent a big chunk of his career thinking about one of the most vexing issues facing filmmakers and other media professionals today: the problem of media distribution. Ulin has recently revamped the first edition of his classic text, The Business of Media Distribution (published in 2009) with a second edition that addresses many of the radical changes to the media industries that have taken place since two significant events — the economic crash of 2008 and the widespread adoption of digital delivery tools — upset traditional models of distribution, changing […]
by Chuck Tryon on Nov 25, 2013 -
13 Takeaways from the 2013 Cannes Film Market
Earlier this week I posted “15 Lessons for Producers from the Cannes Film Festival and Market.” With the festival and market now firmly in the rear-view mirror, the consensus is that it was a solid one for the international sales community, without, perhaps that one giant locomotive title but with an appropriately modest number of films hitting their ask prices. Tastes were noted to have shifted, with buyers wanting “more Jennifer Lawrence and less Sylvester Stallone.” And on the pure indie level, I noticed, as I wrote in my piece on producers, a new crop of American independents have figured […]
by Scott Macaulay on May 31, 2013
