BERLIN -- Independent distribution has taken on a new meaning in Germany thanks to the Neuer Markt bourse. On the back of stock coin, many of the country's indie distribs have expanded beyond their arthouse roots to pursue big-budget wares, which they are increasingly financing and co-producing.
The results: bolder release slates and bigger market shares back home.
Meanwhile, cherry-picking for titles at markets has taken a back seat to output deal-making and joint production pacts.
Take Senator Film. Once a die-hard producer of local films, company now boasts an output deal with Joe Roth's Revolution Studios, which will elicit big-budget movies starring the likes of Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis, and a production pact with Mark Canton.
Helkon Media, after a busy couple of years of dealmaking, boasts a giant release slate this year, including the big-budgeted "Rollerball," "The Contender" and "The Wedding Planner."
The move toward bigger product has led a number of indies to sign up majors to distribute their product. Helkon has a pact with BVI and both Splendid and Prokino have deals with Fox.
Like Helkon, Senator can first expect to see the results at the box office from all of this stock-coin backed deal-making this year and beyond.
Finished product in many cases is still a long way off.
Others, such as Highlight, Constantin and Kinowelt, have already made a mark back home.
Once a small-time Swiss-German distributor that hadn't had a No. 1 at the box office since the early '80s, Highlight returned to the top of the charts last year with major acquisitions such as "U-571" and "Scary Movie," giving it a 3.2% market share, which put it at rank eight overall, and made it the third most successful indie distrib after Kinowelt and Constantin. Advanced Medien, too, managed to hit the box office radar with a 1% slice of revenues.
Kinowelt Medien, which now relies on four U.S. production pacts, with major talent from Gale Anne Hurd to Harvey Keitel's Goat Singers shingle, not to mention a long term output deal with New Line, recorded a 9.1% market share last year, ranking it second among indies. Meanwhile, Constantin bounced back in a big way after a couple of quiet years at the box office. Company improved its share from 5.8% in 1999 to 14.1% last year.
Constantin release "American Pie" was the No. 1 box office hit. While the company has more big product coming its way through a plethora of production and distribution agreements from the likes of USA Films to Propaganda Films and Impact Pictures, it is continuing to back a healthy number of local clicks. Constantin boasted four of the top-10 German movies last year.
But some argue that despite all the movement, the usual suspects still dominate-- although the major's 64% of total box office is significantly less than in previous years. And selling TV rights hasn't become any easier.
"Not a lot has changed in reality," says Christoph Montague, CEO of Advanced Medien. "The majors still rule the box office. One set of indies have been replaced by another. What has changed dramatically is the sales possibilities for the TV rights. You need a lot of cash to be successful in this business. You can be sitting with rights for a couple of years."
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com