Spec Script Sales 2008 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
Columbia Pictures
Warner Bros.
6
DreamWorks
Universal
5
Disney
Twentieth Century Fox
4
Mandate
MGM
Relativity Media
3
CBS Films
Gold Circle Films
2
LionsGate
Miramax
New Line Cinema
Screen Gems
Parallel Zide
1
Centropolis
Chockstone Pictures
Dimension Films
Emmet/Furla Films
Endgame Entertainment
Film Department
Killer Films
Inifinity Media
Kopelson Entertainment
Lakeshore
Media Rights Capital
National Lampoon
New Regency
Paramount Pictures
Phoenix Pictures
Rogue Pictures
Stone Village Pictures
Summit Entertainment
Triumphant Pictures
Wind Dancer
* Five of the six major studios (excluding Paramount) plus DreamWorks accounted for 38 of 87 spec script acquisition (43%).
* Of the mini-majors, MGM, Mandate, and Relativity Media are right behind with 4 specs each. Relativity has been primarily a funding entity for Universal and Sony, but continues to push more into development, witness these spec acquisitions. Mandate was recently acquired by LionsGate so it will be interesting to see how that affects their development approach. Good to see MGM as active as they have been.
* CBS Films continues to evolve in its 2nd year of existence — 3 spec acquisitions not too shabby.
* Look at Paramount: 1 spec acquisition. Granted many of their projects are co-pros with other studios or distribution deals, but 1 spec script?
Now a breakdown of studio acquisitions by genre:
Warner Bros. (8)
Bite Me — Comedy
Bobbie Sue — Comedy
Control-Alt-Delete — Action
Liam McBain: International Tennis Star and Proper English Geezer — Comedy
Substitution — Thriller
The Days Before — Science Fiction Action
The Ditch — Action
Treehouse Gang — Adventure Comedy
Columbia Pictures (8)
Animals — Disaster
Bad Teacher — Comedy
Battle: Los Angeles — Science Fiction
Deryni Rising — Fantasy
Dumped — Comedy
Iron Jack — Action Adventure
The Long Run — Drama
Winter’s Discontent — Comedy
DreamWorks (6)
C.O.D. — Action Thriller
Hereafter — Thriller
Imaginary Friends — Fantasy Adventure
Roundtable — Supernatural Comedy
Shared Fare — Romantic Comedy
Underage — Comedy
Universal (6)
Best Man-a-Thon — Comedy
Raindrops All Around Me — Comedy
Sunny and 68 — Drama
Tehran — Drama
The Family Bond — Adventure
The Knights Templar — Horror Action
Disney (5)
Salisbury — Supernatural Drama
Science Fair — Family Adventure
Self-Guided — Fantasy
The World’s Most Annoying Man — Comedy
Wedding Banned (Touchstone) — Comedy
Twentieth Century Fox (5)
Beaujolais — Action Adventure Comedy
Doomsday Protocol — Science Fiction
Little Big War — Action Comedy
Man and Wife — Action Thriller
Pierre Pierre (Fox Atomic) — Comedy
MGM (4)
Bobism — Comedy
Executive VP David M. Murch’s Adventures in Zamethera — Comedy
Le Car — Comedy
Zookeeper — Comedy
Paramount Pictures (1)
Hot for Teacher — Drama Comedy
* Again we see the strength of comedy across the board. Of special note, each of the spec scripts MGM acquired are comedies.
* In a bid to jump-start B.O. results after a bad 2008, three of the five script acquisitions at Twentieth Century Fox have an action element.
* Of course, to get the big picture for each studio, you need to consider other acquisitions including pitches, books, and so on, but even with spec scripts in 2008 — apart from MGM — we can see the studios’ philosophy to create a slate of diverse movies to minimize risk and maximize the chance that something will hit home with the movie-going audience.
Tomorrow we’ll look at agencies and management companies to see where they rank in terms of spec script sales in 2008.