2010 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Studios

Yesterday we looked at sales by genre. Today we break down the numbers per studios to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market.

8

Warner Bros.

5

Relativity Media

4

Paramount

3

Double Nickel Entertainment

Summit

2

Walt Disney Pictures

Lionsgate

Mandate Pictures

Endgame Entertainment

Gold Circle Films

Temple Hill Productions

1

DreamWorks

Fox 2000

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Twentieth Century Fox

Universal Pictures

Bold Films

Broken Road Productions

Corus Entertainment

Echo Lake Entertainment

Hammer Films

Hyde Park Entertainment

Morgan Creek Productions

Motion Picture Corp. of America

Offspring Entertainment

Roth Films

Stardust Pictures

Stone Village Pictures

Vendome Pictures

Warp Films

Worldview Entertainment

RKO

Radar Pictures

No clearer evidence of the studios’ retrenchment in terms of acquiring spec scripts than the number of scripts the majors bought in 2008, 2009, and 2010:

Disney 5 / 1 / 2

DreamWorks 6 / 4 / 1

Paramount 1 / 5 / 4

Sony Pictures 8 / 4 / 1

Twentieth Century Fox 5 / 3 / 1

Universal 6 / 6 / 1

Warner Bros. 8 / 8 / 8

Every major studio down from 2008 except Paramount and Warner Bros. [they must figure their lucky number is 8] with DreamWorks, Sony, Fox and Universal almost sitting it out with one purchase apiece.

Thank God for Relativity Media!

The major studios acquired just 18 of the 55 spec scripts that sold in 2010, a total of 33% compared to 43% in 2008 and 45% in 2009. Again — down.

Here is a breakdown of studio acquisitions by genre:

Warner Bros.

All You Need is Kill — Action

Dark Moon (aka Apollo 18) — Science Fiction Drama

El Presidente — Action Comedy

Expulsion — Science Fiction

Family Getaway — Family Action Adventure

Imagine — Comedy

The Rabbit — Action Comedy

Unlocked — Thriller

Paramount

21 Shots — Comedy

Boy Scouts vs. Zombies — Comedy Horror

Fun Size — Comedy

Heatseekers — Action Comedy

Disney

Monster Witness Relocation Program — Fantasy

Tiki — Family Adventure

DreamWorks

The Escort — Comedy

Sony

Road to Nardo — Comedy

Twentieth Century Fox 

Chronicle — Science Fiction Action Drama

Universal

Snow White and the Huntsman — Fairy Tale Action

What can we glean from this information? It pretty much confirms the perception that movie studios are trying to get away as much as possible from script development. Just bring them a package. In the past, this has been a cyclical thing: The hassle and expense of development leads to preferring packages, then some of their movies fail and they decide they need to put their creative imprint on the story earlier, so they get back into more script development. Back and forth it goes.

But I don’t recall this being driven as much as it is now by an industry-wide commitment to fiscal restraint re development dollars. So again hard to say if this is simply a down part of a cycle which will eventually go back up like it has in the past or a new paradigm where the studios put less emphasis on spec scripts for a sustained period of time.

Tomorrow: Agents and Managers

UPDATE: In this breaking news from Deadline:

Deadline has learned that New Line will reduce its output from 8 movies a year to just 4. In addition, some of New Line’s personnel will be laid off in coming weeks. It’s all part of Warner Bros newly named movie boss Jeff Robinov plan to “downsize” the division. the mogul has been quite vocal on the need for Warner Bros to cut down on the total number of movies it releases and markets in order to be able to focus attention on its winners.

Evidently the studios have not felt like they’ve hit the bottom in terms of shrinking the number of movies they release each year.

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