In a year where superhero fatigue showed its face in a big way, the eclectic mix of releases from the Indie stable took their moment in the sun. And propped up the box office in ways no one saw coming at the start of last year. With independent and smaller films finally making a splash both financially and artistically, how do we build on that growth? Brandon Blake, our expert entertainment attorney from Blake & Wang P.A., unpacks Indie’s sizzling year in more detail.

Brandon Blake

In 2022, independent cinema and the so-called ‘mini-majors’ contributed $811.7M to the box office kitty. In 2023, that almost doubled, closing out the year at $1.47B. More excitingly, it was pictures like The Holdovers and Air (from the MGM/Amazon stable) that were responsible for drawing back a coveted demographic to theater seats consistently- older viewers. We saw Asteroid City gross a comfortable $28M to take the limited-release opening title for the year. A24’s Past Lives not only garnered awards attention but netted a comfortable $10.9M, while their low-budget horror release, Talk to Me, drew in a rather delectable $48M. Then there was the exponential success of Sound of Freedom, pulling in over $184M in theaters.

 

We don’t blame you if you had forgotten those frontrunners, however, as the Fall season explosion of indie titles on our screens did rather drown them out! From Saltburn and The Boys in the Boat to Priscilla, The Iron Claw, and Dream Scenario, it was a powerful season for smaller movies. And let’s not forget the stellar reception for The Boy and the Heron from Hayao Miyazaki and the unexpected break-out hit Godzilla Minus One right as the year closed, too. Now add a handful of Indian films with impressive domestic performances, even making the weekend Top 10 lists on more than one occasion. There was even the $5M performance of the re-release of the 1984 Talking Heads concert film (Stop Making Sense)- more than the original made.

All in all, it was a fantastic box office year for independent cinema and the min-majors. And there are some key lessons to be learned from that for everyone. While the final release numbers for these films may not have made the weighty financial impression that a $200M+ gross can offer, they don’t have the over-the-top budgets and marketing costs to recoup, either. And each and every film brought some impressive heat critically, creatively, and at the box office. 

 

With the strike actions clearing some space from planned big releases like Dune 2 and Challengers, smaller films had a great moment to shine. Audiences bored of formulaic, unimpressive superhero movie releases lapped them up.

 

Of course, each of these releases had something uniting them- fantastic storytelling and high cinematographic value. Audiences aren’t going to the cinema to see bad indie movies any more than they wanted the dull superhero slate. But this is the first time in a long time we’ve seen so many breakouts on such a diverse range of small-scale films. Adult audiences and resident cinephiles are paying attention to these high-value ‘diamonds in the rough’, offering new takes on the genre and the art, nurturing new talent, and getting original ideas up on the screen. And if that value is seen to be there, the audiences will be too.

 

At the end of the day, distribution is a business and money talks. There will always be a market for splashy, big-budget tentpoles and beloved franchises. But in many ways, the indie breakout of 2023 proves that audience interest in the art of film is still very much alive and well. If the wider indie circuit can keep up that quality output through 2024, the stage is set for another great year for indies. Let’s hope to see it come to fruition!