Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Sundance: Amazon Studios Adds $15 Mil Film to Shopping Basket for Third Big Purchase at Festival, Jillian Bell in “Brittany Runs a Marathon”

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Amazon’s check out basket at Sundance now has three big ticket items.

I told you already that Amazon Studios had spent $13 million on one film– Mindy Kaling’s “Late Night” and $14 million on “The Report” with Adam Driver. They want hits, and they want Oscars.

Now Amazon has added to its collection Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon” with Jillian Bell, an actress mostly known from television. Bell doesn’t have a movie career yet, and none of the other actors in the film have a high profile either. So this is more of a gamble.

So yes that’s $42 million on three movies. But Jeff Bezos can afford it. Will they all pay off? This is the opposite philosophy from Amazon’s previous schedule of indie movies from auteurs. Those didn’t work. Maybe these will.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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