The two streaming giants, Netflix and Amazon, were both busy for a second straight year at the Sundance Film Festival ending this weekend, and both took some of the most talked-about titles at the fest.
Following its $10 million buy of current Oscar best picture nominee “Manchester by the Sea” last year, Amazon has come back to Park City with a bigger wallet. The company bought the comedy “The Big Sick” for $12 million, the biggest buy of this year's fest. Meanwhile, Netflix has taken some of the most coveted documentaries at the fest, like “Chasing Coral” and “Icarus.”
Though a few of the traditional distributors have also grabbed some big fish from the fest, filmmakers are clearly gravitating to Netflix and Amazon.
Here’s a breakdown of all the Sundance movies Netflix and Amazon bought that will be showing on their services later this year (plus a few of the standout buys from other distributors):
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“Berlin Syndrome” — Netflix (“Low-to-mid seven figures” buy)
This thriller about an Australian photographer who finds herself unable to leave the apartment of her romantic encounter will be getting a North American theatrical release through Vertical Entertainment before it goes to streaming on Netflix.
“The Big Sick” — Amazon ($12 million buy)
Produced by Judd Apatow and starring “Silicon Valley” cast member Kumail Nanjiani (who cowrote the script), this comedy about a couple dealing with their cultural differences is one of the biggest hits at this year’s festival. Amazon will handle a theatrical release of the film before streaming it later this year.
“Casting JonBenet” — Netflix
Netflix nabbed the worldwide rights to the film before Sundance started. This unique look at the murder of JonBenet Ramsey will be available to stream in the spring.
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