2012 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Studios
Yesterday we looked at 2012 spec script sales by genre. Today we break down the numbers per studios and production companies to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. The totals:
12
Paramount
9
Sony
Universal
7
Warner Bros.
6
Millennium
4
QED International
3
Twentieth Century Fox
Voltage Pictures
2
Chernin Entertainment
Disney
Legendary Pictures
Lionsgate
New Regency
WWE Studios
1
Allied International
Angry Films
Arclight Entertainment
Black Forest Film Group
Chickie the Cop Entertainment
Code Entertainment
College Humor
Davis Entertainment
Derby Street Films
Dimension Films
DMG Entertainment
Dreamworks
Endgame Entertainment
Enderby Entertainment
Fox 2000
Hammer
Ian Bryce
IM Global Octane
Indian Paintbrush
Killer Films
Latitude Productions
Lascaux Films
Lava Bear
Myriad Pictures
New Line
Nu Image
Paradox
Participant Media
Payam Films
Relativity Media
Scott Pictures
Screen Gems
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
Silver Pictures
Sobini Films
Sentinel Pictures
SkyRock Venture
Look at these numbers from the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 per each major studio:
Disney 5 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 2
DreamWorks 6 / 4 / 1 / 2 / 1
Paramount 1 / 5 / 4 / 4 / 12
Sony Pictures 8 / 4 / 1 / 7 / 9
Twentieth Century Fox 5 / 3 / 1 / 7 / 3
Universal 6 / 6 / 1 / 6 / 9
Warner Bros. 8 / 8 / 8 / 15 / 7
While Warner Bros. came back down to earth this year on the spec script front, Paramount, Universal and Sony all procured more, most notably Paramount jumping up from 4 to 12 spec script deals.
Last year the major Hollywood studios were involved in 43 of the 99 spec script deals which amounts to 43% of total transactions, compared to 38% in 2011, 33% in 2010, 45% in 2009 and 43% in 2008. So the rebound in spec sales the last two years has been influenced by the major studios returning to the form they had in 2008 and 2009.
Here is a breakdown of acquisitions by genre at major and mini-major studios:
Paramount
Almanac — Thriller
The Cellar — Contained Thriller
Draft Day — Comedy
God Particle — Science Fiction
The Gun Eaters — Action Thriller
Huck — Drama Adventure
Monster Problems — Science Fiction Romance
Our Name Is Adam — Science Fiction
Patrol — Action Thriller
Sanctuary — Action Supernatural
Swindle — Action
Wunderkind — Action Thriller
Sony
Bloodshot — Action
El Tigre — Comedy
Epsilon — Science Fiction
Invertigo — Science Fiction
Lockdown At Franklin High — Horror Thriller
Rockets’ Red Glare — Action Thriller
Savage Planet — Action
Untitled Cameron Crowe Project — Drama Romance
White House Down — Action
Universal
2 — Thriller
Bethlehem — Supernatural
Black Box — Action Thriller
The Disciple Program — Thriller
Lights Out — Science Fiction Thriller
NSFW — Thriller
Subdivision — Science Fiction Comedy
Thirteen — Thriller
Untitled McCormick Cop Comedy — Comedy
Warner Bros.
Lore — Science Fiction Action
Pontius Pilate — Drama
Run All Night — Action
Somacell — Thriller
Son of a Bitch — Comedy
Tape 4 — Horror
The Waiting — Thriller
Twentieth Century Fox
Arminius — Historical Drama
Cardiac — Action Thriller
Dear Satan — Comedy
Disney
Saving Mr. Banks — Drama
Ground Control to Major Tom — Romantic Comedy
Lionsgate
Action №1 — Action Comedy
Vanish Man — Thriller
Dreamworks
Glimmer — Science Fiction
If you want to know what is fueling the Action, Thriller, Action Thriller frenzy, look no further than those slates above.
Also of the 12 science fiction specs that got set up last year, 9 of them are with the majors. That makes sense because sci-fi movies generally cost more to produce and are big tentpole type of projects.
Of the independent companies, Millennium Films was notably active in the spec script market in 2012:
High Value Target — Action
Lauren Pemberton Is No Longer In A Relationship — Romantic Comedy
Match — Romantic Comedy
My Owner’s Wedding — Romantic Comedy
Olympus Has Fallen — Action
Playing Dirty — Thriller
In 2011, they were involved in 3 spec script deals. Last year, 6. Since Millennium produced The Expendables which grossed $274M and The Expendables 2 which grossed $300M, they can afford to drop some serious coin on script acquisition and development.
Interesting that half of the projects they acquired in 2012 were rom-coms.
What do you take away from this information?
Tomorrow: Agents and managers.
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