How do I Sell My Movie? Advice from a Producer with 3 Decades of Experience

So you made a movie. You even have an offer from a sales agent to sell it worldwide. You are excited.

Your film is selling in Cannes!
It’s selling at the American Film Market!
It’s screening at Berlinale!

You’re having viewing parties with friends and family, showing off the brochure or the listing of your movie in the Trades. You dream about the new movie you will make or the house you’ll buy with the profits from the first one, and you’re sure there will be so many dollars coming your way from the sales of your film and after you investors are paid off.

Then the months go by.
Your phone isn’t ringing.
And when you call your sales agent to get a revenue report, you get crickets from the other side.

The global marketplace is constantly changing and every country your sales agent is attempting to market your movie to has its own set of needs and is always in flux. What’s more, the competition is fierce, as there is more supply than demand for the traditional distribution model.

As the representative of several international distributors, I have the advantage of being on the “other side,” observing what works and what doesn’t. I get to really understand how buyers think and react to the films sold in the marketplace. as well as what makes them open their checkbooks.

If you’re struggling to sell a film, here are some of the more common reasons you’re hitting the wall with the sale of your film:

1) Your Movie is Too Short or Too Long

Your film should sit at a pretty 89 to 105 minutes. If your film is closer to 83 minutes, it’s way too short. Certain territories need a minimum of 86 minutes WITHOUT END CREDITS to consider acquiring your film.

Other territories will not release movies that are longer than two hours, unless your film is the next installment of a Marvel franchise or the work of an Oscar…