Your tip
Your tip
RadarOnlineRadarOnline
or
Sign in with lockrMail

A Sundance Primer: Sellers Smiling

Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET

RadarOnline CommentsLink to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email

DANCER IN THE DARK Weinstein At the Sundance Film Festival, which begins today, producers making the hard sell stand to ink record-breaking deals as a perfect storm of distributor glut, film shortage, and a writers' strike stirs up a potential buying spree.

Last year, studio heads took a bath as their $53 million investments for 20 Sundance films drew a historic low of $34 million for the 14 titles that made the screen: All signs pointed to a raging case of buyer's remorse. Even Sundance pasha Harvey Weinstein made a stir by driving up bids with an aggressive, highly publicized buying spree. His company bought Teeth, "a feminist horror comedy," which tested poorly and he later unloaded to Lionsgate. Weinstein also picked up Justin Theroux's Dedication, for a snappy $4 million, which got widely panned and grossed a paltry $93,000.

Article continues below advertisement

"It's a seller's world now," Sony Pictures Classic's Tom Bernard predicted last week. "It's not the movies, it's the hotbox of the selling. Sellers are whipping people into a frenzy. It's not an organized way of doing business. It's back-alley stuff. It's speed dating, then you get married."

Radar Logo

Never Miss an

Exclusive

Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE ON Celebrity

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2025 RADAR ONLINE™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. RADAR ONLINE is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.