Facing the odds like a seasoned high roller, indie film crews flock to the new Vegas venue at Palms Casino for this year’s American Film Market. The independent film business, a risky proposition at the best of times, is becoming increasingly uncertain with theatrical releases an all-or-nothing proposition – and buyers reluctant to put their chips on anything. have to face Doesn’t look like a sure thing.
For indie films at AFM, this means doubling down on genre films, particularly horror and action, and moving away from drama and comedy titles, which are considered risky bets internationally.
“People are really focusing on style, even some of the smaller international sales companies are expanding their style slate,” notes one US salesperson. “Success has become impossible to predict and everyone is looking for anything that has an audience.”
Box office success has made horror projects even more attractive, and there are plenty of scares on the market this year, including Hot Projects, the final film in George A. Romero’s legendary zombie franchise, to be directed by filmmaker Brad Anderson and Fortitude is selling; and the psychological horror project, Anton, from UTA and CAA, which will reteam star Margaret Qualley with its director Zachary Wagon.
But the big bets at AFM this year will be on a return to action, with a number of high-profile projects lined up, including Martin Campbell’s, a genre hostage thriller starring Daisy Ridley from Anton. Blackbear stars Idris Elba as a truck driver rescuing his daughter during a heist. and the Russell Crowe headlining sword-and-sandal actioner, presented by AGC Studios, Range Media and CAA Media Finance in Vegas. Lionsgate, coming off a series of box office misses, is rolling the dice on shoot-em-ups with a lineup that includes an action thriller starring Johnny Depp and Penelope. reuniting the cruise; The holiday-themed action comedy, starring Ke Huy Quan and producer 87North, promises an action riff on the concept, though details about the cast and director are under wraps. CAA will also try to close a domestic deal on Jaume Collet-Serra’s big-budget reboot of the 1993 actioner, starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, which has already begun production. Rocket Science is handling international sales on the project, which Studio Canal will release in multiple territories.
“Internationally, there’s definitely an appetite for action films, but we’ll really know how big that appetite is after AFM,” noted one American producer. “The market is changing so fast that any trend comes and goes quickly. What’s hot in one market will be a flop the next.
This week may also reveal whether AFM’s move to Vegas after a decades-long run in Santa Monica will be a make-or-break bonanza. Exhibitors are already complaining about the cost of the new venue. A Brit-based seller said his Palms Casino booth cost $30,000 on the market, “four times what I was paying.” [outside the AFM building] in Santa Monica.” Others lamented the hidden costs — $500 to install a hotel room TV with a box to play movie trailers, emptying the minibar of overpriced alcohol before the market. for $150 — which will increase that number when they evaluate whether to return next year.
But all agree that having the entire AFM, buyers, sellers, conferences and—thanks to the venue’s 14-screen theater complex—market screenings under one roof should make this year’s event even more efficient. Many AFM attendees already miss the Old Market’s proximity to Santa Monica’s beaches and Hollywood agents, producers, talent and financiers. But given the high-profile nature of the indie film business these days, holding the market on the Vegas Strip seems particularly appropriate.
“Theatrical releases have become a crap shoot,” notes a Belgium-based buyer. “So maybe Vegas is a good fit.”
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