2011 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Studios

Yesterday we looked at 2011 spec script 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.

15

Warner Bros.

7

Sony Pictures / Columbia

Twentieth Century Fox

6

Universal

4

New Line

Paramount

3

CBS Films

Millennium Films

2

Crime Scene Pictures

Dark Castle Entertainment

Dreamworks

FilmNation

Gold Circle Films

IM Global

Lionsgate

Mandate Pictures

Montecito Picture Company

Nasser Entertainment

Relativity Media

1

1984 Films

Alcon Entertainment

Animation Picture Company

Appian Way

Atmosphere Entertainment

BCDF Productions

Between the Eyes

Bold Films

Boss Media

Cargo Entertainment

Chernin Entertainment

Code Entertainment

Davis Entertainment

Dimension Films

Emmett/Furla

Endgame Entertainment

Forward Pass

Fox 2000

Fox Searchlight

Gracie Films

Independent Producers

Inferno

MPCA

New Regency

New Wave Entertainment

RCR Pictures

Radar Pictures

Route One Films

Royal Road Entertainment

Safady Entertainment

Sentinel Pictures

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Skydance Productions

Stone Village Pictures

Summit Entertainment

Ten Thirty-One Pictures

Valhalla Motion Pictures

Voltage Productions

Walt Disney

Look at these numbers from the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 per each major studio:

Disney 5 / 1 / 2 / 1

DreamWorks 6 / 4 / 1 / 2

Paramount 1 / 5 / 4 / 4

Sony Pictures 8 / 4 / 1 / 7

Twentieth Century Fox 5 / 3 / 1 / 7

Universal 6 / 6 / 1 /6

Warner Bros. 8 / 8 / 8 / 15

Disney must evidently still have copies of the Katzenberg memo floating around as they basically sat out the spec market. Dreamworks developed financial issues and stopped buying specs midway through the year. Paramount held steady with 4.

But then — BOOM!

Sony, Twentieth Century Fox, and Universal who had done virtually nothing in 2010 bought 7, 7, and 6 spec scripts respectively.

Then there’s Warner Bros. who topped everyone by nearly doubling its spec purchases with 15.

The major studios procured 42 of the 110 specs to sell which comes out to 38%, compared to 33% in 2010, 45% in 2009 and 43% in 2008. So where the majors dropped significantly in terms market share per spec sales from 2009 to 2010, they increased that total by 5% last year.

Here is a breakdown of studio acquisitions by genre:

Warner Bros.

Arthur & Lancelot — Fantasy Action Adventure

Cristo — Science Fiction Adventure

The End — Science Fiction

The Envoy — Action Thriller

Father Daughter Time — Drama Crime

Haunted — Horror

Hidden — Horror Thriller

The Imitation Game — Drama Biopic

Line of Sight — Action Thriller

Murders & Acquisitions — Action Comedy

The Outsider — Action Drama

Samurai — Action Adventure

Second Sun — Science Fiction

Untitled Damon & Krasinski Project — Drama

Wild Guns — Western

Sony / Columbia

Agent Ox — Science Fiction Action

The Big Stone Grid — Crime Drama

Inherit the Earth — Science Fiction Horror

Secretaries Day — Comedy

Sex Tape — Comedy

Singularity — Science Fiction

The Slackfi Project — Action

Twentieth Century Fox

Brotherhood of Scavengers — Adventure Comedy

From Mia With Love — Comedy

The Last Witness — Thriller

The Mountain — Horror

Narco — Action Thriller

The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto — Fairy Tale

Untitled Thomas & Greenfield — Action Comedy

Universal

Bait and Switch — Action Comedy

Dirty Grandpa — Comedy

Gone — Action Drama

Grim Night — Horror Thriller

Leondardo — Action Adventure

Untitled Bertino Project — Thriller

Paramount

Abducted — Science Fiction

Bastards — Comedy

The Hauntrepreneur — Family Fantasy

Hyperdrive — Science Fiction

Dreamworks

Genneris — Science Fiction

Voices From the Dead — Thriller

Disney

Something Cliqued — Comedy

Studios have what they call ‘development slates’ and the majors approach them pretty much the same way mutual funds handle stocks: Obtain a diversity of genres to minimize risk while seeking profitability.

One thing that jumps out at me: Warner Bros. bought zero comedies. Nada. Zip. Considering they acquired 15 specs, that could be quite revelatory and makes me think they are going all-in for movies that play well internationally [see yesterday’s post for more background on that current conventional wisdom re comedies not traveling well overseas].

As usual, it will be interesting to see how the major studios approach the spec market this year. Thus far of the 9 specs that have sold in 2012, Universal and Warner Bros. have acquired 1 each.

Tomorrow: Agents and managers.