2015 Spec Script Deals Analysis: Genres
By my count, Hwood studios, production companies, and financiers acquired 55 spec scripts in 2015. During this week, I’ll be breaking down those numbers.
Today we look at deals by genre. Some scripts are categorized as cross genres or sub-genres, so those are noted where relevant under their primary genre category.
Note: Genre designations are not scientific, so you have to understand these numbers are general.
2015 SPEC SCRIPT DEALS BY GENRE
DRAMA — 17
Historical — 2
Bio — 2
Sports — 1
Thriller — 1
Western — 1
ACTION — 13
Drama — 2
Horror — 2
Adventure — 1
Crime — 1
Historical — 1
Science Fiction — 1
THRILLER — 10
Heist — 1
Legal — 1
Supernatural — 1
COMEDY — 7
Fantasy — 1
Romantic Comedy — 1
SCIENCE FICTION — 7
Action — 1
Animation — 1
FAMILY — 1
First let’s compare to 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
2008 (88 sales)
COMEDY 41
ACTION 13
DRAMA 12
THRILLER 10
FANTASY 3
SCIENCE FICTION 3
ADVENTURE 2
DISASTER 2
FAMILY 1
HORROR 1
2009 (68 sales)
COMEDY 26
THRILLER 12
ACTION 11
DRAMA 7
SCIENCE FICTION 4
ROMANTIC COMEDY 3
FAMILY 1
FANTASY 1
HEIST 1
HORROR 1
MURDER MYSTERY 1
2010 (55 sales)
COMEDY 16
ACTION 14
THRILLER 10
SCIENCE FICTION 7
DRAMA 4
FAMILY 2
FANTASY 1
MYSTERY 1
2011 (110 sales)
ACTION 29
THRILLER 20
COMEDY 19
DRAMA 14
SCIENCE FICTION 13
HORROR 8
FAMILY 2
FAIRY TALE 1
HEIST 1
SUPERNATURAL 1
WESTERN 1
2012 (99 sales)
ACTION 27
THRILLER 20
COMEDY 20
SCIENCE FICTION 12
DRAMA 10
HORROR 9
SUPERNATURAL 1
2013 (100 sales)
THRILLER 25
ACTION 20
COMEDY 18
DRAMA 17
SCIENCE FICTION 13
HORROR 3
WESTERN 2
DISASTER 1
FAMILY 1
2014 (62 sales)
ACTION 17
COMEDY 12
DRAMA 10
SCIENCE FICTION 9
THRILLER 8
HORROR 5
FANTASY 2
* The first thing to note is the continuing decline in deals. Not a huge drop off year-to year, but the number of deals in 2015 is precisely 50% to that of 2011, the most recent high water mark. On the other hand, deals were equivalent to those in 2010 and while on the lower end of transactions are in the vicinity of what was the norm through much of the last decade. So while part of the decrease is attributable to the fact the major studios are buying less spec material, there is also the continuing up-and-down cycle of the market which has been in place for years.
* This is the first time in my blog’s history in which Drama is the #1 genre in terms of spec script deals and by a relatively wide margin. Indeed, it is the highest number of deals for the genre since 2008, equaled only by the deals during 2013.
* Sticking with Drama, scripts in that genre comprised a startling 31% of all of spec transactions in 2015. I say startling because with Hollywood’s rush to big budget / franchise / pre-branded movies, it seems entirely counterintuitive for Drama — the antithesis of tentpole movies — to top the list of spec script deals. But there it is in black and white. What might this say about the spec market? Perhaps buyers needing to produce content with more ‘meat’ than spectacle driven popcorn movies?
* Even though Action slipped to the #2 position, it is still a significant area of interest representing 24% of all spec script deals in 2015.
* Comedy, which had seen a rise back to prominence in 2014, slipped back to 4th. Despite the numbers, I continue to think this genre — and specifically Action Comedy — will return to prominence.
* Interesting that Horror has virtually disappeared from the list in 2015. Perhaps this is due to the studios’ perception this is a low-budget space and many of the transactions which may have occurred were no dollar options or projects developed in-house.
What do you think when you look at these numbers? Will they have any impact on what stories you choose to write in 2016?
Head over to comments to post your observations and analysis of the year in spec script deals.