2018 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Buyers

Yesterday we looked at 2018 spec script deals by genre. Today we break down the numbers per major studios, mini-majors, subsidiaries, production companies, and financiers to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. The totals:

5
Paramount
Sony / TriStar

4
Universal

2
Blumhouse Productions
New Line
Voltage Pictures
Warner Bros.

1
20th Century Fox
Amblin Partners
Aperture Entertainment
Bad Idea
Catapult Entertainment Group
Endeavor Content
FilmNation
Filmula
Global Road Entertainment
Gran Via Productions
The H Collective
Lionsgate
Luma Pictures
Mandalay Pictures
Millennium Films
Parallel Films
Screen Gems
Studio 8
Tooley Productions

Look at these numbers from the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 per each major studio:

20th Century Fox 5 / 3 / 1 / 7 / 3 / 3 / 8 / 4 / 8 / 5 / 1
Disney 5 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 0 / 2 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0
Paramount 1 / 5 / 4 / 4 / 12 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 4 / 3 / 5
Sony Pictures 8 / 4 / 1 / 7 / 9 / 3 / 10 / 2 / 2 / 4 / 5
Universal 6 / 6 / 1 / 6 / 9 / 6 / 4 / 6 / 2 / 3 / 4
Warner Bros. 8 / 8 / 8 / 15 / 7 / 4 / 2 / 4 / 0 / 2 / 2

The decrease in spec deals at Fox aligns with Disney’s approach — now that they own 20th Century Fox: Few to none spec script deals, the studio preferring to exploit pre-existing content.

Paramount’s rise makes sense: new leadership wants to carve out their own creative slate of projects. The Sony and Universal numbers are likely connected to the fact that both studios have little in the way of pre-existing content. In particular, Paramount needs new and different projects to upgrade its filmmaking process.

Other numbers: There were 20 spec deals per the majors proper. That is equivalent to 50% of all spec script deals, up from 2017 and 2016, while down from 2015 (55%) and 2014 (56%).

What do you take away from this information?

Tomorrow: Agents and managers.

Part 1: Spec Script Deal List
Part 2: Genres