Several distributors have secured rights to notable films premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, with deals ranging from documentaries to comedies and horrors. Highlights include A24's high-stakes acquisition of Olivia Wilde's 'The Invite' and Sumerian Pictures' purchases of award-winners. These sales reflect ongoing interest in independent cinema despite a slower start to bidding.
The Sundance Film Festival 2026 featured over 90 films and episodic series, with only about a dozen arriving with distribution deals in place. Many sought buyers during the event, leading to several acquisitions tracked by IndieWire.
One of the festival's most competitive sales was for 'The Invite' in the Premieres section, directed by Olivia Wilde. A24 won global rights after a days-long bidding war involving Neon, Black Bear, Netflix, Searchlight, Focus Features, and Warner Bros., with bids reportedly reaching the eight-figure range. The film stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz as a couple attending a dinner party with a polyamorous pair, based on the 2019 Spanish film 'Sentimental.' Produced by Megan Ellison's Annapurna, it is set for a theatrical release. The AV Club reported that Wilde prioritized a theatrical deal.
Sumerian Pictures, a record label entering film distribution, made waves with two buys. On February 14, they acquired 'Josephine' from the U.S. Dramatic section in a seven-figure deal. Directed by Beth de Araújo, the drama stars Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Mason Lily Reeves as a girl witnessing a sexual assault. It won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Prize and will receive a theatrical release and awards campaign. On February 26, Sumerian bought 'The Incomer' from the NEXT section, directed by Louis Paxton, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O’Rourke. The offbeat comedy-fantasy earned the NEXT Innovator Award and is planned for a later 2026 theatrical release.
Other notable deals include Sony Pictures Classics acquiring 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York' on February 24, directed by Noah Segan and starring John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito, for a fall release; Black Bear's February 17 purchase of 'Wicker,' directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, featuring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård; and Neon's January 27 acquisition of the horror 'Leviticus' by Adrian Chiarella in a seven-figure deal. Magnolia secured Gregg Araki's 'I Want Your Sex' on February 10, starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, also for seven figures and a theatrical run.
Documentaries saw interest too, with Netflix buying the short 'The Baddest Speechwriter of All' on February 12, co-directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry, about Martin Luther King Jr.'s speechwriter Dr. Clarence B. Jones, which won the Grand Jury Prize for shorts. Apple acquired the climbing doc 'The Last First: Winter K2' on February 5, directed by Amir Bar-Lev.
These deals underscore Sundance's role in launching independent projects, though the market started slowly compared to prior years.
