Sell only theatrical rights?

I wonder if it's possible to sell only your theatrical rights?
I know that it's possible but I don't know how common it is.. (for indie films)?

Theatrical is my main concern because with VOD and DVD-on-demand services it's lot easier for me to distribute through there..
And I also wonder what are the release-date restrictions if you sell your theatrical rights..
Would you be free to release your film on VOD when you want or you should wait for the theatrical release (or I don't know what)
(I heard that Magnolia Pictures release first on VOD and then on theatrical - to give an example)

I know that every situation is different - I just want to know what is the common way (what I am dealing with)..

Thanks,
Kostas Gogas
Dutbo


I already read some posts around the forum - if you think I missed something similar to my question: please point me there..
 
It's possible, but it's also about as likely as the chances of your film becoming a $300mil+ box office smash.

Theatrical releases tend to be a loss leader for distributors and they make up the difference in the subsequent windows. So if you think about it, why would someone make the investment in marketing your film and not be able to take advantage of that investment in where they'd typically earn their profits.

If you dig a little further, the value of a film is linked to its theatrical performance.

What's common will depend on what value your film has to a distributor. If you have no talent attached that anyone cares about, it's rare that anyone would be interested in doing a theatrical release for you anyway.

release first on VOD

The amount of times I've heard of films released in other windows and then getting a theatrical release are few and far between. It's so rare, I wouldn't even worry about it. Cinema operators highly tend to avoid films that have a release window that is less than a certain amount of time of theatrical release (I think it's 3 or 4 months), let alone a film that has already been released on VOD.

what are the release-date restrictions if you sell your theatrical rights.

It'll depend on what rights you have already sold and if there are any stipulations attached to those rights etc.

Good luck on your journey, I hope it turns out well for you.

I just want to know what is the common way

The most common way for an independent film is for the filmmaker to self distribute, and in the process, miff it up.
 
I wonder if it's possible to sell only your theatrical rights? ... Theatrical is my main concern because with VOD and DVD-on-demand services it's lot easier for me to distribute through there.

I agree with what sweetie has said but would add; the chances are, that you have not made (or will not make) a film which is theatrically distributable and therefore the questions of theatrical rights and timing windows are irrelevant. However, what is technically distributable in your part of the world might be slightly different (and lower) to what is technically distributable in other parts of the world. So the best advice, is to contact theatrical distributors for your local region and find out what their technical specifications/requirements are. Once you are sure you can meet those requirements, then the questions of rights, etc., may become relevant.

G
 
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