On Wednesday, Deadline and Variety reported that Neon has acquired the worldwide rights to “Together,” a body horror film in the Midnight section starring Dave Franco (read KPCW’s review).
Indie studios including A24 and Mubi, which distributed “The Substance,” were involved in a bidding war for the film.
The final purchase price is estimated at between $10 million and $20 million. It’s the only reported film purchase from this year’s Sundance thus far.
The film production and distribution company Neon recently released the serial killer film “Longlegs” starring Nicolas Cage and Sean Baker’s drama “Anora,” which has garnered four Oscar nominations including best picture.
“Together” premiered at the Eccles Center Jan. 26. The gory film centers on real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as they move to a remote countryside and encounter a supernatural force.
Sundance’s Midnight section, which highlights provocative films that range from comedy to horror, have performed well in the selling market in recent years.
At last year’s festival, Netflix purchased the Midnight section thriller “It’s What’s Inside” for $17 million.
The demand for hair-raising films is only growing. The market share of horror films has grown by more than 10% since 2014, according to industry data service The Numbers.
The trade publication Variety reports that entertainment companies are “hesitant to hand out big checks” at Sundance this year as the Hollywood box office continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the screenwriters strike in 2023 and the immense growth of streaming movies at home.
