Where are the big splashy deals? So far, Sundance has felt unusually subdued. Studios are treading carefully—indie box office isn’t what it used to be, and there’s the harsh truth that a breakout Sundance hit can easily fizzle once it hits theaters.
At this point, only “Josephine” is earning full-throttle raves, while on the doc side, “Once Upon A Time in Harlem” is getting the most attention. The sole major bidding war we know of? A24 and Focus are duking it out for Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” currently reported in the $12M range. But for the first time this year, there’s finally a genuine sell in Park City…
Neon has picked up the queer horror mashup “Leviticus”, a story centered on conversion therapy, reportedly in the $5M+ range. Written and directed by first-timer Adrian Chiarella, the film follows “two star-crossed teenage boys [who] must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.” The cast features Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Jeremy Blewitt, and Ewen Leslie, and it premiered in the Midnight section.
“Leviticus” currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 10 reviews). Neon has a solid track record with horror, and maybe they can work some commercial magic here—but, quite honestly, as noted earlier, anything that comes out of Park City with buzz should be taken with a very large grain of salt.