Neon, Searchlight Pictures, MK2 & Film4 Execs Talk Indie Film B.O. Optimism: “We’re Coming Out Of The Trench” – Zurich Summit
deadline.comThe pandemic and Hollywood strikes battered box office for independent cinema is turning a corner, distribution execs told a panel at the Zurich summit industry conflab on Saturday. “We’ve been in a trench trying to get out,” said Rebecca Kearey, Head of International at Searchlight Pictures, which enjoyed box office success with Poor Things late last year and into 2024. “Last fall was the beginning of our business coming back with some of those phenomenal award season movies that really delivered for audiences.
I feel we’re coming out of this trench, internationally and domestically, in the U.S.” Kearey was joined on stage by Neon CEO Tom Quinn, Film4 Head of Distribution & Sales Stefanie Fahrion and Nathanaël Karmitz.
Agreeing with Kearey, Quinn pointed to the fact that the average gross per film had hit $15M at the U.S. box office in 2023. “The highest mark in the last 24 years was 19, but the rest of those years were basically in the 16s and 17s.
The total the highest year was 2018 which did about $11.8 billion across 993 movies. Last year, 2023, did $8.9 billion with only 591 movies, with 41% less movies, it’s only 25% less total box office,” he said.
Read more on deadline.com