Look Who’s Rising to Fill the Void Left by Studios: Foreign Sales Companies

Last in a series: As studios shed their producer deals to focus more on tentpoles, sales companies have been handling a greater number of high-profile films.

Last of a three-part series on Hollywood’s changing landscape

As studios have shed their housekeeping deals, emptied their lots of some of the biggest names in production and cut back on almost any film that doesn’t smack of tentpole, an unexpected new player is picking up the slack.

Foreign sales companies are jumping in not just to sell but to finance — and sometimes produce — projects outside the studio system, among them: Exclusive Media Group, FilmNation, IM Global and Millennium Films.

A slew of newbies have signed up as well, leading more producers to work outside of the studios.

Getty Images

Consider the announcement from the American Film Market in October that 50 new exhibiting companies, many sales entities, were taking part in the annual film bazaar, showing just how much the independent sales companies are growing in the wake of these changes.

Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis collaborated on "Love Actually" and "Notting Hill" (Credit: Getty Images)
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