https://deadline.com/2024/01/sundance-hot-movies-list-2024-1235796387/
One wrinkle in the continuing tectonic shifts in the theatrical space is a number of titles on my cheat sheets that have distributors aligned with them. Buyers are being encouraged to come kick the tires, and if the studios can find a better home for a film it invested in early, deals could be made.
Start with Rob Peace, a film that Paramount had been aligned with that is directed and written by 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor, an adaptation of the bestselling biography. By my count, there are multiple titles that have A24 aligned to them, as well as Neon, Focus, Lionsgate and others. I’ve never seen this before, but I am told it’s all about getting these breakthrough films seen, coupled with distributors hedging bets. The filmmakers can see these distribs that put in money are mindful of getting the best deal and finding the best home, which might be a streaming deal. Another of these could be tonight’s premiere of Freaky Tales, the Anna Boden-Ryan Fleck film that stars Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn. I’m told Lionsgate has the movie through its acquisition of eOne. If another distributor is very excited, the film could change hands.