Underwhelming films and some disinterested buyers left many wondering what’s next for the Utah-based festival

At the end of last year’s Sundance film festival there may have been some concerns over the quality of films but there was less worry over the quantity of deals. As I wrote last year’s wrap, there had already been major big-money sales – $10m for A Real Pain, $17m for It’s What’s Inside, $15m for My Old Ass, $5m for Presence – some smaller ones – Thelma, Ghostlight, Ibelin, Daughters, Skywalkers and Kneecap – and in the 48 hours after there were even more – Dìdi to Focus and Will & Harper to Netflix. Post-strikes it was a reassuringly robust marketplace with gaps that needed to be filled but just a year later, things are looking far less comforting.

There were even more questions over quality – I heard many a grumble in the press line over a lack of breakouts – but even so, as of writing, there have been only four deals confirmed, a worryingly dour result for what’s seen as one of America’s most important markets. Films with sellable names like Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Josh O’Connor and some of the best-reviewed titles remain without distribution.