The Circuit

The core of the seemingly competing Toronto fest articles in the current Variety Weekly underscore the fundamental difference between studios and indies -- economies of scale.

Dade Hayes and Pam McClintock look at what happened on the studio's end:

With great fanfare, the majors jumped into the indie film game by launching specialty units -- but the entire biz is still feeling the ripple effect.

Some imposed a Big Studio mentality on a business that demands careful nurturing. Production budgets got bigger for little films, while marketing budgets ballooned on such pics as "Babel," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will be Blood."

This made it tough for smaller indie companies to compete for box office attention or awards. A gross of $5 million to $10 million used to be great for an indie film, but not anymore.

Meanwhile, Anne Thompson finds a half-full glass:

"The Wind That Shakes the Barley" and "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" -- have been IFC's biggest earners. This year, IFC opened Catherine Breillat's erotic thriller "The Last Mistress" on June 27, day-and-date in theaters and via VOD on cable systems around the country. Available for $6.99 during a 90-day window, the pic has grossed $657,804 to date.

And IFC is actually expanding its acquisitions.