Small Eu opean
Films: Challenges and
D i e s o Change
o Dis ibu ion and
Exhibi ion
Funded by he Eu opean Union. Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o he au ho (s) only and do
no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean Union o he Eu opean Resea ch Execu i e Agency. Nei he he
Eu opean Union no he Eu opean Resea ch Execu i e Agency can be held esponsible o hem.
Augus
2025 IVANA KOSTOVSKA
imec-SMIT-VUB
JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN
Aa hus Uni e si y
MARIUS ØFSTI
Aa hus Uni e si y
CO-AUTHORS:
c escine.eu
A NEW
INDUSTRY
REPORT
IMEC-SMIT-VUB
Bd de la Plaine 9, 1050
ETTERBEEK, BELGIUM
Co-Au ho s 3
S a emen o O iginali y 3
Disclaime 3
Execu i e Summa y 4
Me hodology 5
Key Findings & Recommenda ions 6
In oduc ion 7
Di e en Films, Di e en Dis ibu ion Challenges 9
Reaching Domes ic Audiences 13
D i e s o Change: Po en ial Ma ke s o Small Indus ies 18
Reaching Fes i als & In e na ional Ma ke s 20
Reaching In e na ional Audiences 26
Reaching Audiences & Ca alogs on VOD 35
Conclusion: Dis up ion o All, Oppo uni ies o Some 39
Re e ences 41
Table o Con en s
2
IVANA KOSTOVSKA
I ana Kos o ska is a esea che in ilm and TV economics a imec-SMIT-
VUB. He cu en esea ch ocuses on unde s anding he changes in he
Eu opean ilm and ele ision indus ies d i en by he ise o global s eame s,
wi h an emphasis on shi s in policies and commissioning p ac ices. A SMIT-
VUB, she is in ol ed in con ac esea ch o a ious s akeholde s, including
he Eu opean Commission. As pa o he C esCine p ojec , I ana leads asks
and con ibu es o compa a i e analyses o ilm expo s, co-p oduc ions,
dis ibu ion, and commissioning p ac ices by global s eame s, ilm sales
ma ke s, as well as ilm and AV policy.
MARIUS ØFSTI
Pos doc, Depa men o Media and Jou nalism S udies, Aa hus Uni e si y
Ma ius is a ached o he Eu opa Ho izon p ojec ‘C esCine’. His main
esea ch in e es s a e ilm and cul u al indus ies and in pa icula ques ions
abou dis ibu ion and a ailabili y. His doc o al hesis ‘No way a e Ne lix:
Local s a egies in a global mo ie ma ke ’ was published in 2023. He has
also published se e al a icles on No wegian ilm dis ibu o s, hei his o ical
de elopmen and ole in he No wegian indus y as well as hei esponses
o Co id-19 and he digi iza ion o cinemas and home en e ainmen . In
collabo a ion wi h Kim Talle ås (Oslome ) and Te je Colbjø nsen (BI) he has
also de eloped and published on he concep o con ingen a ailabili y.
JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN
Jakob Isak Nielsen is Associa e P o esso a he Depa men o Media
and Jou nalism S udies, Aa hus Uni e si y. He also se ed as head o ha
depa men om 2014-2019. His esea ch ocuses on he in e sec ions o
ilm and media indus ial condi ions, p oduc ion p ac ices and audio isual
aes he ics. He is co-au ho o Se iali y in he S eaming E a (Rou ledge,
2025), con ibu o o and co-edi o o books on Ame ican d ama se ies
(Fje nsyn o ide ekomne, 2011), and ansna ional se ial phenomena in
he s eaming e a (S eaming o ide ekomne, 2020). Recen esea ch
p ojec s include Wha Makes Danish TV D ama Se ies T a el? (Independen
Resea ch Fund Denma k, 2014-2018); Sc eenME - on sc een media
en ep eneu ship (Ho izon2020, 2019-2023); C esCine – Inc easing he
In e na ional Compe i i eness o he Eu opean Film Indus y in Small
Eu opean Ma ke s (Ho izon-RIA, 2023-2026). In C esCine, he leads wo k
ha akes a mac o pe spec i e on he s a e o he a o small Eu opean ilm
indus ies as well as asks ocusing on ans o ma ions wi hin he ields o
ideo on demand (VOD), dis ibu ion and exhibi ion.
This deli e able con ains o iginal unpublished wo k excep whe e clea ly
indica ed o he wise. Acknowledgemen o p e iously published ma e ial and
o he wo k o o he s has been made h ough app op ia e ci a ion, quo a ion,
o bo h.
The Eu opean Commission’s suppo o he p oduc ion o his publica ion
does no cons i u e an endo semen o he con en s, which e lec he iews
only o he au ho s, and he Commission canno be held esponsible o any
use which may be made o he in o ma ion con ained he ein.
Co-Au ho s
S a emen o
O iginali y
Disclaime
3
This guide p o ides a comp ehensi e o e iew o he e ol ing landscape o
ilm elease s a egies wi hin he Eu opean con ex . This s udy, conduc ed
unde C esCine—a Ho izon Eu ope- unded p ojec —in es iga es he shi s in
dis ibu ion p ac ices, ocusing on lessons lea ned om Eu opean dis ibu o s
pos -COVID-19. The objec i e is o o e insigh s and ecommenda ions o
indus y s akeholde s na iga ing a hyb id dis ibu ion en i onmen in luenced
by s eaming pla o ms and changes in audience beha iou .
The epo iden i ies key hemes and challenges in he ilm dis ibu ion
sec o , emphasising he ension be ween adi ional hea ical exclusi i y and
he ising in luence o digi al pla o ms. The COVID-19 pandemic ac ed as
a ca alys o expe imen a ion, p omp ing dis ibu o s o explo e day-and-
da e eleases and sho e hea ical windows. Despi e ini ial shi s owa d
digi al- i s s a egies, he indus y has la gely e u ned o con en ional
windowing models, unde sco ing he endu ing alue o hea ical eleases as
a co ne s one o p o i abili y and audience engagemen . The s udy highligh s
he adap i e s a egies o dis ibu o s who ha e emb aced lexibili y o ailo
elease plans o speci ic ma ke s and gen es while p ese ing he unique
appeal o cinema-going expe iences.
D awing on quali a i e in e iews wi h Eu opean dis ibu o s and case
s udies, he guide unde lines he c i ical impo ance o hea ical exclusi i y,
which con inues o gene a e he majo i y o e enue o many ilms. The
guide p esen s lessons lea ned ouching upon di e en aspec s o ilm
dis ibu ion, such as he limi a ions o sho e windows, he expe imen o he
day-da e-da e, iming and compe i ion and changes in consume p e e ences
and beha iou .
The indings p o ide a nuanced unde s anding o how dis ibu o s ha e
na iga ed he pos -COVID-19 en i onmen , balancing he need o inno a ion
wi h he p ese a ion o adi ional models. This guide concludes by o e ing
o wa d-looking ecommenda ions o Eu opean ilm indus y s akeholde s,
such as p io i izing hea ical exclusi i y, expe imen ing cau iously wi h hyb id
s a egies, and le e aging pa ne ships o enhance isibili y and e enue
4
Execu i e
Summa y
This epo is based on a combina ion o expe in e iews and quan i a i e
da a. The quan i a i e da a we e o iginally collec ed o he Small Eu opean
Film Ma ke s:
Po ai s and Compa isons epo . The da a ega ds he pe iod 2014 o
2022, and a ho ough desc ip ion o he da a and how i was collec ed is
ound he e. Fo he epo you a e cu en ly eading, we ha e elied mainly
on admissions da a om Lumie e P o, es i al da a collec ed using a web
sc ape , and VoD ci cula ion da a om Lumie e VoD.
In addi ion o he da a o iginally collec ed, we ha e used an upda ed
e sion o he Ne lix Engagemen epo s ha expands he ime ame
o June 2025. The VoD ci cula ion da a has been supplemen ed by a
da ase compiled by Bengesse e . al (2025), which combines Lumie e VoD
snapsho s om Oc obe 2022 o July 2024 wi h TMDB and IMDb da a.
We also downloaded he Ne lix Top 10 coun y lis s o he se en C esCine
ma ke s. These lis s we e ma ched wi h he Lumie e VoD da a using i le
ma ching and il e ing o i les ha had been p esen in a Ne lix ca alog
be ween Oc obe 2022 and July 2024. While he ma ches we e con olled
o alse posi i es, ilms wi h di e ing i les in he Ne lix lis s and Lumie e
da abases migh be missing.
No e ha he epo links o indi idual ilms in he publicly a ailable Lumie e
and Lumie e VOD da abases ha only include admissions in and a ailabili y
in Eu ope.
As calcula ions on o e all admissions and ma ke s eached a e based
on he subsc ip ion-based se ice Lumie e P o, which includes se e al
ma ke s ou side o Eu ope, he e may be disc epancies be ween ou
igu es and Lumie e’s.
Fi e expe s wi h expe ience ac oss p oduc ion, dis ibu ion, and exhibi ion,
and h ee ep esen a i es o public ilm unding agencies we e in e iewed.
These we e based in Denma k, Li huania, o C oa ia, al hough mos o
hem had expe ience wo king in se e al coun ies. The in e iewees we e
selec ed s a egically o highligh and expand on speci ic challenges
iden i ied in he da a, such as access o domes ic hea e s, in e na ional
es i als and ma ke s, as well as domes ic and in e na ional VoD ca alogs.
The in e iewed expe s we e:
Helene Au ø, ReIn en (Denma k)
Kes u is D azdauskas, A box (Li huania)
Claus Toks ig Kjæ , Nø lum En e ainmen (Denma k)
Claus Ladegaa d, CEO o The Danish Film Ins i u e (Denma k)
Ch is ophe Pe e Ma cich, P esiden o EFAD, CEO o C oa ian
Audio isual Cen e (C oa ia)
I o Sibe , JUČER (C oa ia)
Maja Vukić, Depu y CEO o C oa ian Audio isual Cen e (C oa ia)
Romanas Ma ulis, CEO a Bal ic Film &C ea i e Tech Clus e (Li huania)
Me hodology
5
1. P io i ise hea ical exclusi i y: main ain a window o exclusi i y o
hea ical eleases o p ese e he cinema’s unique appeal and ensu e
a sus ainable e enue model. Tailo his window based on ma ke size,
audience accessibili y, and ilm ype.
2. Op imise elease iming: ca e ully schedule eleases o a oid
compe i ion wi h majo e en s (e.g., es i als o blockbus e s) and align
wi h seasonal audience p e e ences. Ta ge quie e pe iods o secu e
sc een a ailabili y and audience a en ion.
3. Adop lexible elease s a egies: cus omize elease windows o
each ilm based on i s gen e, ma ke po en ial, and a ge audience. Fo
ins ance, sho e windows can be used o smalle o niche ilms, while
comme cially s ong i les migh bene i om ex ended hea ical uns.
4. Expe imen judiciously wi h day-and-da e eleases: use day-and-
da e s a egies spa ingly and p ima ily o ilms wi h limi ed hea ical
p ospec s o in egions whe e cinema accessibili y is es ic ed. Assess
hei impac ca e ully o a oid unde mining he hea ical ecosys em.
5. Le e age s a egic pa ne ships: collabo a e wi h local cinemas,
b oadcas e s, and specialized s eaming pla o ms o maximize each
and isibili y. S eng hen ies wi h local VOD se ices o complemen
hea ical e enues.
6. Capi alize on ilm cha ac e is ics: align dis ibu ion s a egies wi h
he unique a ibu es o each ilm. Fo a house o es i al ilms, ocus
on wo d-o -mou h and cu a ed e en s. Fo comme cial i les, op imize
elease iming and ma ke ing o cap u e mass audiences.
7. Engage in communi y-cen ic ini ia i es: highligh he communal alue
o cinema-going by o ganizing e en s, Q&As, o hema ic sc eenings
(e.g., culina y e en s o ood- hemed ilms). This c ea es memo able,
sha ed expe iences ha enhance audience engagemen .
8. Tailo ma ke ing o a ge ed impac : in es in ailo ed ma ke ing
campaigns, including geoloca ion-based ads, social media s a egies,
and in luence pa ne ships, o engage speci ic audience segmen s
e ec i ely.
9. Focus on in e na ional collabo a ion and expo : pa ne wi h
o he EU s akeholde s o s eng hen he in e na ional each o ilms,
pa icula ly o p oduc ions wi h c oss-bo de appeal. Use es i als and
in e na ional sc eenings as sp ingboa ds o b oade ma ke isibili y.
10. In es in aining and inno a ion: p o ide aining oppo uni ies o
you company and s a o s ay ahead o eme ging dis ibu ion ends
and echnologies. This could include ools and insigh s in o audience
analy ics, digi al ma ke ing, and inno a i e dis ibu ion s a egies o
emain compe i i e in a shi ing ma ke .
Key Findings &
Recommenda ions
6
In he epo Small Eu opean Film Ma ke s: Po ai s and Compa isons, we
compa e se en small ilm indus ies, C oa ia, Denma k, Es onia, Flande s
(Belgium), I eland, Li huania and Po ugal. We a gue ha ou small
indus ies a e in a ying deg ees o ien ed owa ds p oduc ion se ice
ac i i ies o he p oduc ion o ilms ha ha e cul u al esonance, a is ic
me i , o expo po en ial. The a enues can be dis inguished om each
o he on he basis o a numbe o pa ame e s including he p ima y policy
ields ha o m he egula o y amewo k o he a enue, he unde lying
inancing logic, as well as he legi imacy and success c i e ia o each
a enue. Schema ically, he ou a enues can be delinea ed as seen below:
Al hough his model is de eloped on he basis o empi ically iden i iable
pa ame e s, i is p esen ed he e as a heo e ical model exis ing a an
indus y o ecosys em le el. In o he wo ds, we use i no as a mapping
ool bu as a concep ual ame ha enables us o discuss challenges and
d i e s o change a a mo e gene al le el, in his case ocusing in pa icula
on dis ibu ion and exhibi ion.
“Small Eu opean ilms: challenges and d i e s o change o dis ibu ion and
exhibi ion” highligh s h ee co e dis ibu ion challenges in he adi ional
cinema ic window: eaching domes ic audiences, eaching es i als and
in e na ional dis ibu o s, and eaching in e na ional audiences ( he ou h
a enue called “p oduc ion se ice” is excluded om his epo due o i s
ocus on s imula ing incoming p oduc ions). The h ee co e challenges a e
closely aligned wi h he h ee o ien a ions:
A key unde lying logic o he cul u al esonance-o ien a ion is o connec
wi h a wide domes ic audience.
A key unde lying logic o he cinema ic a s-o ien a ion is o each es i als
and he in e na ional a cinema ci cui .
A co e challenge o he expo -o ien ed a enue is o each subs an ial
in e na ional audiences.
While he h ee a enues ace dis inc challenges o dis ibu ion, he main
d i e o change ac oss hem all is he ansi ion om he e a o a dominan
In oduc ion
7
bu somewha dis an Hollywood o wha Ramon Loba o desc ibes as a
“US-based globally dispe sed pla o m ecology” (2024, ii). This has in
pa icula a ec ed a ou h co e dis ibu ion challenge, which we b oadly
desc ibe as eaching audiences on VOD, which we ind ac oss he h ee
a enues o o ien a ion. While Ame ican cinema has long been unde s ood
as bo h a iend and oe o Eu opean cinema (e.g. Abel 1984; Elsaesse
2005; Bil e eys , Gipponi, and Miconi 2023), Loba o igh ly sugges s
ha he a i al o he s eame s has ans o med hese anscul u al
encoun e s. P e iously, hese encoun e s we e channeled h ough a ious
local in e media ies and adi ional media conglome a es (Ø s i 2023),
whe e Hollywood ilms se ed as bo h compe i ion o domes ic and o he
Eu opean ilms while simul aneously being essen ial o he local cinema
in as uc u e. These encoun e s a e now happening in globalized ne wo ks
ha do no equi e Eu opean middlemen, and on e ms de ined by US ech
companies such as Amazon, Apple and Ne lix – wha Ca he ine Johnson
e e s o as digi al na i es (2019). The ensions and dynamics a e on he
one hand eboo s o well-known ensions and dynamics p io o s eaming
bu hey a e also ecas , meaning ha he poli ical, egula o y (Cole e al.
2022), echnological, economic, social and aes he ic epe cussions a e
di e en .
Al hough he e is much o be conce ned abou om a small na ions-
pe spec i e, he consequences o pla o miza ion wi hin he TV and music
indus ies a e a guably mo e undamen al since hei p ima y elease
windows a e a s ake whe eas he p ima y elease window o ea u e ilms
- he hea ical elease window – has ye again p o en o be a s abilizing
ac o in he ilm indus y in Eu ope and elsewhe e. The eco e y a e o
Eu opean cinema admissions seemingly con e ging a ound 80% o p e-
Co id admissions (2017-19) emains a majo conce n (EAO 2024) bu he
po en ial collapse o he hea ical window ha appea ed on he ho izon
du ing Co id has now subsided (Ene e al. 2024). Wa ne B os. announcing
a simul aneous elease o i s 2021-sla e o ilms in hea e s and on HBO
Max oday appea s mo e Co id-speci ic han he wa e shed i could ha e
po en ially been. Tha said, ‘wo king he windows’ when eleasing a ea u e
ilm in 2025 is a mo e complica ed endea o ha comes wi h a mul i ude
o op ions. Al hough he challenges acing small Eu opean ilm ecosys ems
in he new pla o m ecology a e ce ainly inc easing, we also iden i y new
possibili ies and d i e s o change. The commissioning o local language
p oduc ions by global ech companies o ins ance o e ci cula ion op ions
in he home en e ainmen ma ke o ce ain ypes o Eu opean cinema
ha a exceed he each o locally p oduced ilms in he hea ical ma ke .
Local ilms on pla o ms wi h a global each can hus challenge he e y
no ion o wha Eu opean ilm cul u e is and how Eu opean ilm can posi ion
i sel bo h wi hin and ou side i s bo de s.
No e ha he epo links o indi idual ilms in he publicly a ailable Lumie e
and Lumie e VOD da abases ha only include admissions in and a ailabili y
in Eu ope. As calcula ions on o e all admissions and ma ke s eached
a e based on he subsc ip ion-based se ice Lumie e P o which includes
se e al ma ke s ou side o Eu ope he e may be disc epancies be ween ou
igu es and Lumie e’s.
8
Di e en Films,
Di e en
Dis ibu ion
Challenges
Al hough he o ien a ions model is de eloped on an ecosys em-basis,
many indi idual ilms adhe e o a speci ic a enue. To guide he eade om
abs ac model o conc e e examples, he ollowing will desc ibe indi idual
ilms ha align well wi h a speci ic a enue. The sec ion will conclude wi h
‘hyb id’ examples o ilms ha can be said o combine di e en a enues.
A ilm ha aligns well wi h he cul u al esonance-o ien a ion is he Danish
ea u e ilm Bamse (A Lucky Man, 2022, DK). A Lucky Man is a bio-pic
abou a s ou Danish musician named Flemming “Bamse” Jø gensen
(1947 - 2011) who pe o med/w o e a numbe o Danish pop e e g eens.
As he lead singe and main songw i e in he band ‘Bamses enne ’
(li e ally Bamse’s iends), Bamse is a household name in his na i e coun y
bu li le-known ou side o i . The s o y o Bamse’s li e is also he s o y
o Denma k in he 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in pa icula . I is old wi h
his many e e g eens as musical accompanimen . The di ec o , Hen ik
Ruben Genz, who co-w o e he sc eenplay wi h Bo H . Hansen, is a well-
es ablished ilm and TV d ama di ec o wi h expe ience wo king ac oss
9
Tha said, dis ibu o s wi h s ong commi men o domes ic ilms and a
signi ican sha e o he o e all ma ke s canno exis i he e a e ew o no
domes ic ilms ha each b oad local audiences o hese dis ibu o s o
elease. We also ind se e al examples, no ably in Li huania, whe e mos
o he op pe o ming domes ic i les om 2014 o 2022 ha e been sel -
dis ibu ed by he p oduc ion company. As such he impac o domes ic
dis ibu o s is di icul o e alua e.
Key issue: building and main aining audience habi s o domes ic ilms
One o he key ea u es o cul u al esonance is es ablishing a bond wi h a
sizable domes ic audience. This is no easy ea , and we can see ha in e.g.
C oa ia, Po ugal and I eland he e a e disconnec ions be ween local ilms
and local audiences ha ha e s ong his o ical oo s ha a e di icul o
emedy. A C oa ian ilm p oduce in e iewed o his epo s a ed ha i
would ha e been easie o ge C oa ian audiences o see his mos ecen ilm
i hey had belie ed ha i was Se bian, a e e ence o he ac ha speci ic
Se bian ilms ha e eached highe admissions in C oa ia han any domes ic
ilm. Looking a he highes - anking domes ic ilms in na ional cinemas we see
ha in Denma k, Li huania, and Es onian domes ic ilms egula ly cap u e he
op spo , and a e a ely o ne e ou side o he op en. On he o he hand,
we see C oa ian, I ish and Po uguese ilms s uggling o each he op en
o e en op 20. In e es ingly, a C oa ian dis ibu o -p oduce in e iewed
o his epo belie ed ha he cinema in as uc u e in C oa ia was ac ually
qui e pe ec o cul u al esonance-o ien ed ilms. The in e iewee did no
endo se weaking he cinema in as uc u e o be mo e accommoda ing o
C oa ian cinema ic a s-o ien ed ilms bu ins ead endo sed p oducing a
highe numbe o cul u al esonance-o ien ed ilms such as Dne nik Pauline
P. (HR, 2023) o D azen (HR, 2024).
1616
No e ha he numbe s o Belgium include bo h Flande s and Wallonia. As all
he domes ic ilms o each he op en in he pe iod we e Flemish, i is likely
ha hey would ha e anked highe i only admission om Flemish cinemas
had been included.
While mos ma ke s ha e a ious o ms o audience building schemes, his
issue also eaches in o he inancing o po en ially popula domes ic ilms.
The e is a limi o how popula ilms wi h a clea cinema ic a s-o ien a ion,
o en desc ibed as di icul ilms, can become e en i hey add ess ques ions
and hemes ha a e cul u ally esonan . To build habi s o going o cinemas
o wa ch domes ic ilms among wide audiences i is he e o e also a
equi emen ha he e is a egula p oduc ion o domes ic ilms wi h b oad
audience po en ial. In e ms o inancing, howe e , hese ilms o en ind
hemsel es in a challenging middle posi ion. While hese ilms se e audience
needs in a di e en way han he high-budge in e na ional a e, hey a e
s ill o some ex en compe ing o he same b oad audiences. On one hand,
hese ilms he e o e equi e highe p oduc ion alues and in es men s
compa ed o ilms wi h a na owe audience ambi ion. On he o he hand,
public bodies a e o en eluc an o suppo ilms pe cei ed as o e ly
“comme cial”.
All indus ies, including hose ha ha e s ong
connec ions o he local cinema-going audiences,
also ace he challenge ha cinema audiences
a e becoming inc easingly olde . While his is in
pa a esul o an inc ease in cinema a endance
among olde age coho s i is also he esul
o a dec ease in he numbe o cinema isi s
by younge audiences ha ha e adop ed new
in e ne based habi s – a pa e n ha is also
isible in some o ou ma ke s such as he Danish
one. Wi h a low p oduc ion ou pu , i is ex emely
di icul o es ablish cinema-going p ac ices
amongs child en and eenage audiences o local
ilms. A dis ibu o in e iewed o his epo
adds ha his equi es o he ini ia i es such as
audience-de elopmen s a egies in he educa ion
sec o .
17
D i e s o Change:
Po en ial Ma ke
— Bu a High
Cos s — o Small
Indus ies
Fo indus ies ha s uggle o achie e success wi h ilms o ien ed owa ds
cul u al esonance, we he e o e belie e he main challenge is o es ablish
a cohe en local in as uc u e, ha in ol es unding bodies, p oduce s,
dis ibu o s, and exhibi o s, and ha suppo s bo h unding and ma ke ing o
popula local mo ies.
Howe e , his is a e y cos ly unde aking — especially wi h ilms o ien ed
owa ds he gene al public — as i equi es no only signi ican in es men s in
in as uc u e, bu also a ela i ely high olume o ela i ely expensi e ilms o
be success ul. While he e is e idence ha audiences a e willing o accep
lowe p oduc ion alues om domes ic ilms han compa able in e na ional
ilms — he e is ce ainly a limi o how popula he e y low-budge ilms
can become. On he o he hand, a high p oduc ion olume is equi ed o
achie e mo e s able admissions o local ilms, a key equi emen o he
in as uc u e, bu is also necessa y o imp o e audience awa eness o local
ilms in gene al. Despi e his we see indica ions om Po ugal and C oa ia
ha indi idual ilms ha a e o ien ed owa ds la ge local audiences such as
he Po uguese comedies Cu al de Moinas - Os Banquei os do Po o (PT,
2022) and O Pá io das Can igas (PT, 2015) o he C oa ian child en and
you h mo ies Dne nik Pauline P. (HR, 2023) and C cak i m a ica (HR, 2023)
can b eak he domes ic op en despi e a low o e all domes ic ma ke sha e.
The Li huanian domes ic success is also la gely a esul o ela i ely low
budge comedies ha a e inanced h ough he ax incen i e scheme and no
ilms ha ha e ecei ed p oduc ion unding om he Li huanian ilm boa d.
18
The e is also a conside able upside o ilms p oduced wi h a cul u al
esonance-o ien a ion. They ace a a less compe i i e ma ke place han
ei he o he expo o he cinema ic a s-o ien ed ilms, as hey a e likely o
ace limi ed compe i ion om ilms p oduced ou side hei cul u al sphe e.
Ou side he big i e e y ew, i any, Eu opean ma ke s p oduce oo many
ilms aimed a local audiences. The ac ha he C esCine ma ke s wi h
he lowes domes ic ma ke sha es, I eland, Po ugal and C oa ia, a e he
only ma ke s whe e ilms om a neighbo ing coun y ha e highe a e age
admissions han domes ic i les, indica e ha he e is an audience demand
o p oduc ions wi h a cul u al esonance he e as well. This is pe haps mos
e iden in C oa ia whe e he e ha e been as many Se bian as C oa ian ilms
in he op 10 since 2014. While his is likely less ue o ma ke s ha sha e
language o cul u al p oximi y wi h s ong neighbo s, such as I eland - we s ill
see ha B i ish ilms ha e a highe sha e o admissions in I eland han in he
es o he C esCine ma ke s.
These ilms a e also mo e likely o inc ease he gene al cinema admissions,
as hey appea o se e an audience need ha ilms om o he ma ke s do
no add ess. Admissions in ma ke s wi h s onge domes ic ma ke sha es
ha e also p o en o be mo e esilien in pe iods o in e na ional ins abili y
as we ha e seen when Co id-19, s ikes and o he s a egic eo ganiza ion
ha e a ec ed he ou pu om Hollywood. Fo ins ance, while I ish hea ical
admissions pe capi a was well abo e he C esCine a e age om 2015 o
2019, i ell sha ply du ing 2020 and 2021, while he Danish and Es onian
admissions emained ela i ely s able.
19
Reaching Fes i als
and In e na ional
Ma ke s
This sec ion ocuses on he challenges in ying o each es i als and
in e na ional ma ke s, which is he p ima y challenge o ilms wi h a cinema ic
a s-o ien a ion. As p e iously discussed, eaching es i als and in e na ional
dis ibu ion deals is key o hese ilms bo h as a pa hway o a is ic
ecogni ion as well as o economic easons.
Key issue: high le els o compe i ion in
all a eas
O he h ee o ien a ions desc ibed in his epo , he cinema ic a s-o ien ed
i les om small ma ke s ace he highes le els o compe i ion. The e a e
se e al easons o his. Fi s , unlike he cul u al esonance-o ien ed ilms
hey lack he p o ec ion ha add essing a small ma ke o e s. Second,
he e is a e y high olume o cinema ic a s-o ien ed ilms om all o e he
wo ld ha compe e o he same audiences, he same dis ibu o s, and he
same es i als. Thi d, e en i hey a e no compe ing o he same cinema
audiences as he mo e popula domes ic o in e na ional ilms, hey a e s ill
compe ing wi h i les wi h as ly highe ma ke ing and p oduc ion budge s o
sc eens and a en ion. Fou h, in he es i als ha a e key o cinema ic a s-
o ien ed ilms hey o en ace di ec compe i ion o inclusion in he p og am
and a en ion om Hollywood- ilms and o he bigge budge ilms ha migh
ha e a is ic as well as comme cial ambi ions. The mos s iking ecen
example being Joke (US, 2019) winning he Golden Lion a he Venice ilm
es i al be o e going on o g ossing o e one billion USD.
Key issue: ge ing in o es i als
While a is ic ecogni ion should no be educed o nomina ions and
pa icipa ion in es i als, hey a e key o unlocking audience awa eness as
well as ma ke s o ilms wi h a cinema ic a s-o ien a ion. While he e a e
many di e ing c i e ia o selec ing es i als o examine, we ha e op ed o
base ou selec ion on he Swedish Film Ins i u e’s lis o es i als and awa ds
ha a e a pa o hei “quali y index” calcula ion. The es i als conside ed in
his sec ion a e Annecy, Busan, Be lin, Cannes, In e na ional Documen a y
Film Fes i al Ams e dam (IDFA), Ka lo y Va y, Loca no, Ro e dam, San
Sebas ián, Sundance, Tellu ide, To on o, T ibeca, and Venice. The SFI quali y
index also conside s he London Film Fes i al, Cinekids, and CPH:DOX, bu
we we e unable o collec da a on pa icipa ion and awa ds om he London
Film Fes i al and Cinekids o he whole ime pe iod. CPH:DOX was excluded
o a oid ha ing a es i al based in one o he se en C esCine ma ke s due
o possible skewing o he esul s. Recognized es i als such as Black Nigh s
Film Fes i al in Es onia and Zag eb Film Fes i al in C oa ia a e no included
in he SFIs index bu including hem could – simila ly o CPH:DOX - lead o
skewed esul s. Only ea u es wi h 2014 o 2022 as yea o p oduc ion and a
hea ical elease in Eu ope a e conside ed.
Looking ac oss all Eu opean ilms and US ilms eleased in Eu ope we see
ha mos ilms we e no included in he selec ed es i als. While his includes
ilms ha we e ne e submi ed no had any ambi ion o pa icipa ing in hese
20
es i als, he di e ences be ween he indus ies canno be ully explained
by he indus y o ien a ion. As we saw in he p e ious sec ion, Es onia and
Denma k a e among he indus ies wi h s ong domes ic ma ke sha es – bu
we ind hey ha e a e y di e en sha e o i les a hese es i als. Simila ly,
we ind signi ican di e ences among C oa ia, I eland and Po ugal, he
C esCine ma ke s wi h low domes ic ma ke sha es.
Some explana ion, in pa icula o he high sha e o Danish ilms a es i als,
can be ound in he kinds o ilms ha a e being p oduced. A signi ican
sha e o he Danish ilms ha a e selec ed o es i als a e documen a ies,
and Danish ilms we e selec ed almos wice as o en o he documen a y
es i al IDFA as all he o he C esCine ma ke s combined. Li huania is he
only o he ma ke whe e documen a ies we e mo e o en selec ed o
es i als han ic ion ilms. When only ic ion ilms a e conside ed, he I ish
sha e o ilms selec ed o es i als is conside ably highe han he o he s.
21
The di e en le els o access o es i als in gene al can also in pa be
a ibu ed o pe iphe ali y. As documen ed by C esCine esea ch, ilms om
small ma ke s s uggle o gain access a he majo es i als. Looking a he
numbe s o ilms a he a ious es i als we also ind egional pa e ns. This
is mos s iking when compa ing I ish and Po uguese ilms, whe e I ish ilms
a e a mo e o en selec ed o No h Ame ican es i als and awa ds and
Po uguese ilms ha e signi ican ly highe p esence a he Eu opean es i als.
Ka lo y Va y, he only examined es i al in he Eas e n pa o Eu ope, was
he only es i al whe e Es onian and Li huanian ilms had a simila numbe o
nomina ions as he es o he C esCine ma ke s, hough no Po uguese ilms
we e selec ed he e.
Key issue: ge ing access o ma ke s
Fes i als a e no only key o a is ic ecogni ion, bu hey a e also key in
secu ing dis ibu ion deals o addi ional ma ke s. As many i les a e selec ed
o se e al es i als, we ha e chosen o ocus on he i s un es i als when
examining he co ela ion be ween a e age ma ke s eached and es i als.
Using his me ic, we ind ha ilms p emie ing a all he selec ed es i als
wi h he excep ion o IDFA and Ro e dam ci cula ed in mo e ma ke s
han hose ha did no . The low numbe o ma ke s o IDFA is la gely
explained by he low ci cula ion o documen a ies in gene al. Compa ed o
documen a ies ha did no pa icipa e in any o he examined es i als, IDFA
selec ed documen a ies ci cula ed sligh ly mo e.
The e is, howe e , a signi ican di e ence in he a e age numbe o ma ke s
eached by ilms selec ed o he di e en es i als. Cannes leads, ollowed
by Tellu ide and hen he es o he “Big Fi e”, Venice, To on o, Sundance
and he Be linale. The s ong pe o mance o Tellu ide is likely due o only
selec ing 25 i les on a e age, o which an a e age o 11 we e US i s -
p oduced i les. Looking a he numbe o ma ke s eached by ilms om he
di e en ecosys ems we s ill ind ha he es i al e ec emains signi ican ,
bu ha i is also cons ained by he indus y o igins. As an example, he eigh
Po uguese ic ion ilms selec ed o Be linale a e aged 3.13 ma ke s, abou
wice he a e age o 1.61 o ic ion ilms no in he selec ed es i als. The
en Danish ilms selec ed o he Be linale eached 7.8 ma ke s on a e age,
which is also almos wice he 4.18 ma ke s eached by ilms no in selec ed
es i als. Looking a he median alues a he han a e ages we ind a simila
pa e n.
Examining he a e age ma ke s eached based on he p emie e es i al and
i s -p oducing coun y we also ind ha he e can be signi ican a ia ions
be ween he numbe o ma ke s eached. These can o en be a ibu ed
o one o wo i les ha ha e eached a la ge numbe o ma ke s. On he
s eng h o Sangailes asa a (LT/FR/NL, 2015) and Vespe (LT/FR/BE, 2022)
ha eached 15 and 14 ma ke s espec i ely, Li huanian ilms p emie ing a
Ka lo y Va y a e aged 6.8 ma ke s. Es onian ilms a Ka lo y Va y, howe e ,
only eached 1.4 ma ke s on a e age, which is he same as ilms ha did no
p emie e a any o he selec ed es i als.
22
When compa ing he numbe o i les eleased in a ious egions based
on pa icipa ion in he selec ed es i als, i is e iden ha he es i als in
gene al ha e a posi i e e ec ac oss all egions. The e ec is, howe e ,
he s onges in Eu ope, ollowed by he Ame icas. This included he No h
Ame ican es i als in he selec ion, al hough hei e ec is ela i ely s onge
in he No h Ame ican ma ke s han he Eu opean es i als. Again, his
a ies s ongly acco ding o es i al and ma ke as can be explo ed in he
isualiza ion below.
23
Co-p oducing pa ne s in he ma ke egions also ha e a posi i e e ec on
he sha e o i les ha each ma ke s in Eu ope and he Ame icas, and o
hese ma ke s he local co-p oduce e ec is gene ally s onge han es i al
pa icipa ion. Al hough he o e lap be ween es i al pa icipa ion and co-
p oduce s has no been examined, in gene al co-p oduced ilms ha e abou
he same le el o es i al pa icipa ion as 100% na ional p oduc ions ac oss
he ma ke s.
D i e s o change: alen and s ong
indus ies
This analysis indica es ha es i al pa icipa ion and local co-p oduce s ha e
an e ec on he ma ke s any gi en ilm eaches. These e ec s a e, howe e ,
limi ed compa ed o he impac o he o igina ing indus ies. While he nex
sec ion will show ha eaching in e na ional audiences is a bigge challenge
o small indus ies han eaching in e na ional ma ke s, he e is unsu p isingly
a s ong co ela ion be ween he indus ies ha egula ly each a high
numbe o in e na ional ma ke s and hose wi h s ong expo s.
Tha said, compa ing he e ec s o es i al pa icipa ion, co-p oducing and
o igina ing indus ies isks unde es ima ing he impac o indi idual ilms
and alen . Excluding anima ion, which will be discussed in he nex sec ion,
only h ee Flemish ilms om he pe iod eached mo e han 15 ma ke s. O
hese h ee, wo we e di ec ed by Lukas Dhon whose ilms Close and Gi l
eached 43 and 37 ma ke s espec i ely. Using nomina ions and awa ds
24
as an indica ion o he impac o indi idual alen s we ind ha ac oss he
examined es i als and awa ds a o al o 5717 di ec o s ecei ed a leas
one nomina ion o awa d. Ou o hese, 18.7% ecei ed hal o all nomina ions
and awa ds, and only 4.6% we e needed o each 25% o all nomina ions
and awa ds. Lukas Dhon won app oxima ely one hi d o all nomina ions and
awa ds o Flemish ilms in he pe iod. While his s ands ou in he C esCine
ma ke s, mos indus ies saw a single di ec o ecei e a leas 15% o all
nomina ions and awa ds.
Fo small ma ke s ha can d aw on a smalle
alen pool, hese gene a ional alen s a e ew
and a be ween, and e en wi h he bes policy
imaginable, success can be di icul o achie e.
In many cases, hese gene a ional alen s also
p oduce hei ilms ab oad. One example is he
Danish-I anian di ec o Ali Abassi who has been
selec ed a Cannes wi h h ee di e en ilms ha
each ha e di e en i s -p oducing coun ies.
Fo mos small ma ke s, his is a signi ican
challenge, bu some indus ies, such as he I ish,
ha e also ound much o hei es i al success
wi h o eign bo n di ec o s such as he G eek
Yo gos Lan himos. Finding, nu u ing, de eloping,
a ac ing and keeping alen he e o e becomes a
c ucial challenge.
25
Conside ing he o e all expo admissions
p esen ed abo e, i is no su p ising ha among
he op 50 expo ing ilms in all C esCine ma ke s
(2014-2022) he e is a s ong ep esen a ion
o ilms om I eland, Flande s and Denma k. In
ac , excep o one Po uguese and one C oa ian
ilm, all op 50 expo ing ilms (measu ed in o al
in e na ional admissions) a e om hese h ee eco
sys ems (“Top-pe o ming ilms,” 2024). Looking
mo e closely a he op 50 expo ing ilms om
all C esCine ecosys ems as well as he gen e
signa u es o he op 20 expo ing ilms om each
o he se en C esCine ecosys ems, a numbe o
cha ac e is ics can be iden i ied:
• Family-o ien ed anima ion ilms s and ou . Al hough anima ion ilms do well
domes ically, hei success in in e na ional ma ke s is e en mo e p onounced.
Six een o he op 50 in e na ional i les om C esCine ma ke s a e anima ed,
wi h i e o he op 10 in in e na ional admissions being anima ion ilms. This
is la gely due o p oduc ions om Belgium’s nWa e Pic u es (e.g. Robinson
C usoe, The Queen’s Co gi), I eland’s Ca oon Saloon (e.g. Song o he Sea,
Wol Walke s), and di e en Danish s udios. Combined, he op i e anima ion
ilms ha e nea ly 19 million admissions, ising o 22.5 million when accoun ing
o all anima ed ilms in he op 50. Including Belgium in he sample (no
jus Flande s) would ha e u he boos ed hese numbe s. The in e na ional
success o anima ion is no new. Ea lie examples include Haun ed Cas le
(BE/US 2001), Hjælp, jeg e en isk (DK/DE/IE 2000), and The Ugly Duckling
and Me! (DK/DE/FR/IE, 2006). Howe e , a u ning poin came in 2008 wi h
nWa e’s Fly Me o he Moon, ollowed by many in e na ional hi s. These ilms
o en ely on globally ecognized cul u al e e ences, like H.C. Ande sen’s
The Ugly Duckling o Daniel De oe’s Robinson C usoe, as a s epping s one o
b oade in e na ional appeal.
• In e na ional co-p oduc ions, especially o I eland and Flande s, d i e
expo . Collabo a i e pa ne s om la ge ma ke s sugges ha hese help o
es ablish ga eways o in e na ional ma ke s bo h wi hin and ou side o Eu ope
(see Film Expo : Compa ing C esCine & La ge Ma ke s). This o cou se also
includes ma ke s ha a e no di ec ly in ol ed in he p oduc ion. Fo ins ance,
nWa e anima ion ilms ha e eached subs an ial audiences in China al hough
ou Lumie e P o da a does no indica e an o icial Chinese co-p oduc ion
pa ne . Co-p oduc ions also domina e he op in e na ional ilms mo e
b oadly speaking.
• In e na ional language- ilms. Language plays a key ole oo, wi h English-
language o dubbed anima ion ilms pe o ming bes in e na ionally. Non-
anglophone in e na ional languages also play a ole. Fo ins ance, Du ch-
language K3 ilms, o example, succeeded in he Ne he lands, while ilms like
Gi l (BE/NL 2017) and Close (BE/FR/NL 2022) ound in e na ional audiences
in neighbo ing geo-linguis ic egions. These cul u al expo pa e ns align wi h
he cul u al-linguis ic p oximi y heo y whe eby cul u al p oduc s a e mo e
likely o a el o ma ke s wi h high geo-linguis ic p oximi y (de Sola Pool
1977; S aubhaa 1991, 2007). Howe e , i is wo h no ing ha geo-linguis ic
p oximi y is no in i sel a ga eway o expo . Sweden is no a signi ican
32
expo ma ke o Danish ilms and nei he is B azil o Po uguese ilms.
Fa ima (PT/US, 2020) had app oxima ely 63.000 admissions in B azil bu
Po uguese-language ilms a ely ind a comme cial elease in B azil and
gene ally do no each subs an ial audiences he e.
• In e na ionally ecognized au eu s a e well- ep esen ed on he lis
(e.g. Neil Jo dan, La s on T ie , Jim She idan, Thomas Vin e be g, Yo gos
Lan himos, Nicolas Winding Re n, Tomm Moo e and Lukas Dhon ). O e all,
he expo cha ac e is ics o au eu -d i en expo ilms ollow wo main pa hs.
On he one hand, he e a e English-language ilms in ol ing in e na ional co-
p oduc ion pa ne s ha a e clea ly designed wi h an in e na ional audience
in mind. The ilms o Yo gos Lan himos, La s on T ie and Nicolas Winding
Re n bes exempli y his expo -o ien a ion in ou 2014-2022-sample
whe e bo h The Lobs e (IE/FR/GB/NL/GR, 2015), The House ha Jack
Buil (DK/FR/SE, 2018) and The Neon Demon (DK/US/FR, 2016) had e y
modes admissions domes ically (app oxima ely 25.000, 30.000 and 9.000
espec i ely) bu subs an ially s onge admissions numbe s in e na ionally
(app oxima ely 2.056.000, 517.000, 736.000 espec i ely). On he o he
hand, he e a e local-language au eu ilms ha ac ually do each signi ican
domes ic audiences while also achie ing signi ican in e na ional admissions.
The ilms o Lucas Dhon and Thomas Vin e be g bes exempli y his
pa h. Gi l (2018) and Close (2022) – bo h di ec ed by Lucas Dhon - had
domes ic admission in he 300-350.000 ange and we e hus ela i ely solid
successes a home. Thomas Vin e be g’s D uk had app oxima ely 843.000
admissions domes ically and was a box o ice hi . In e ms o in e na ional
admissions, Gi l had app oxima ely 700.000, Close 1.149.000 and D uk
2.779.000 in e na ional admissions. Al hough D uk was a subs an ially bigge
hi al oge he , all h ee ilms ha e a ela i ely simila spli be ween domes ic
and in e na ional admissions. I would appea hen ha he in e na ional
success o hese la e ilms pa ially elies on he s eng h o hei domes ic
pe o mance - combined wi h e y s ong c i ical ecogni ion, including many
nomina ions and awa ds a in e na ional es i als.
• In e na ionally ecognized ac o s s a in a numbe o he li e-ac ion ilms
on he lis (e.g. B ie La son, Isabelle Huppe , Colin Fa ell, Rachel Weisz,
Sally Hawkins, E han Hawke, B endan Gleeson, Ma Dillon, and Mads
Mikkelsen).
• T ansna ional cha ac e is ics. The s onge sha e o co-p oduc ions
amid ilms ha pe o m well in in e na ional ma ke s aligns wi h s ongly
ansna ional cha ac e is ics o hese p oduc ions mo e b oadly speaking.
This conce ns he composi ion o cas and c ew, se ing, languages spoken,
as well as he speci ic hemes and s o ylines o he ilms hemsel es. An
example is G e a (IE/US 2018), di ec ed by I ish Neil Jo dan bu se in New
Yo k Ci y and s a ing F ench Isabelle Huppe and Ame ican Chloë G ace
Mo e z.
• The cha ac e s, cas , se ings and s o ylines o a ai sha e o hese
ilms a e no s ongly ancho ed cul u ally in he ma ke in which hey a e
p oduced. Some a e mo e ancho ed in a speci ic non-domes ic cul u e, e.g.
he US as in The Sal a ion (DK/GB/ZA, 2014), The Neon Demon (DK/US/
33
FR, 2016), The House ha Jack Buil (DK/FR/DE/SE, 2018) o he abo e
men ioned G e a.
• Cul u ally unspeci ied. O he s a e mo e unspeci ied such as Room (IE/US/
CA/GB 2015), o The Lobs e (IE/FR/GB/NL/GR, 2015), he la e di ec ed
by G eek Yo gos Lan himos, s a ing ac o s om a ious na ions, and se in
unspeci ied loca ions (i was sho in I eland). This connec s o he expo
s a egy ha Sco Olson has de ined as “na a i e anspa ency” (Olson
1999) – whe e na a i es emain ‘cul u ally open’, allowing audiences o ead
hei own cul u al disposi ions in o he ilms.
• Ce ain gen es end o pe o m be e in e na ionally, especially
ad en u e, sci- i, ho o , an asy, and d ama. Gen e hyb idi y also appea s o
be a ac o in in e na ional success as mul iple gen e ags a e mo e p e alen
in he op 50 expo ing ilms compa ed o he o e all epe oi e. Comedy, on
he o he hand, is mo e popula domes ically, pa icula ly in Po ugal, whe e
gen es like sci- i and wa only appea among in e na ional op-pe o me s,
while h ille and mys e y domina e domes ically.
34
Reaching
Audiences and
Ca alogs on VOD
As e enue om sales and en als o physical home en e ainmen has all
bu disappea ed ac oss he C esCine ma ke s, a ious o ms o VOD has
become he mos impo an pa h o non- hea ical dis ibu ion. Reaching
audiences and ca alogs on VOD is he e o e a challenge ilms ac oss all h ee
o ien a ions ace.
The da a o analyzing pe o mance on VOD is mo e gappy han o hea ical
pe o mance and hi d-pa y da a is un o una ely no speci ic enough o
allow o a pe i le-compa ison o pe o mance. Analysis o ci cula ion on
VOD ca alogs/coun ies and pe o mance on Ne lix indica e simila i ies wi h
challenges pe aining o hea ical expo , hough he e is some e idence
ha ilms wi h limi ed hea ical success can s ill ind audiences on VOD.
These indings align wi h a ecen epo om he Eu opean Audio isual
Obse a o y ha inds ha pe o mance on SVOD is la gely linked wi h
hea ical pe o mance, hough again wi h a signi ican sha e o ilms ha o e
o unde pe o m on SVOD is-a- is hea ical.
Key issue: p esence in ca alogs
Ca h in Bengesse ’s analyses o he sha e o C esCine i les in VOD ca alogs
enhance he pa e n we see as ega ds hea ical pe o mance in e na ionally:
close o all i les om I eland, Denma k, and Flande s a e in VOD ci cula ion
whe eas ha is he case o a conside ably smalle sha e o ea u es
35
p oduced by he emaining ecosys ems. Aside om he mo e p onounced
expo -o ien a ion o hese h ee ma ke s, he high sha e o VOD ci cula ion
is likely ela ed o he de elopmen o hei domes ic VOD ma ke s as such,
pa icula ly he su ge in numbe and sha e o households subsc ibing o VOD
se ices (see VOD in as uc u e).
36
Since he global SVODs (Ne lix, Apple+, Disney+ and Max) ca y e y ew
C esCine i les, he ci cula ion o C esCine ilms elies s ongly on na ional o
egional SVOD ca alogs. In e ms o Ne lix’s ilm commissioning ac i i ies,
we see a simila pa e n since only ilms om I eland, Denma k and Belgium
ha e – as o he elease o he epo – been commissioned by Ne lix.
Unsu p isingly, hea ically success ul ilms
a e among he op 20 lis o he mos widely
ci cula ing C esCine ilms on VOD ca alogs.
Unlike in cinemas, howe e , he e appea s o be
al e na i e pa hs o ci cula ion and iewe ship
o i les on VOD. Whe eas close o no local-
language ilms ha e managed o each subs an ial
in e na ional hea ical admissions o ma ke s
wi hou piggybacking on es i al ecogni ion, a
signi ican numbe o ilms also each subs an ial
in e na ional ca alogs while ha ing modes ,
unsuccess ul o no hea ical elease.
37
38
Conclusion:
Dis up ion o All,
Oppo uni ies o
Some
Al hough indi idual ilms can each massi e audiences on globally
o ien ed pla o ms such as Ne lix, cinema emains key o legi imacy and
economy ac oss he o ien a ions and ac oss he C esCine indus ies. In
some ega ds he ans o ma ion has ein o ced he ies be ween domes ic
ilms and local dis ibu ion and exhibi ion by inc easing he hea ical sha e
o o e all e enue o p oduce s and dis ibu o s (Gaus ad 2019) as well as
inc easing he ela i e alue o local i les o dis ibu o s and cinemas (Ø s i
2023). The e is he e o e eason o be wa y o he ongoing dis up ion o
ilm dis ibu ion p ac ices and o p o ec and imp o e he local unding and
exhibi ion in as uc u es.
Tha said, he e is undoub edly a po en ial in VOD o small ilm indus ies,
i pe haps only in global SVODs, when i comes o bo h unding ilm
p oduc ion and when i comes o eaching global audiences. Ne lix in
pa icula has p o en o p o ide bo h unding and audiences o ilms om
small ma ke s on a scale ha has no been possible p e iously. The Ne lix
Engagemen Repo s show how he Danish ilm A Beau i ul Li e gene a ed
45.7 million hou s o iewing in only one mon h (June 2023). Recalcula ed
in o “numbe o ull- ime iewe s” (wha Ne lix now calls “Views”) his
ansla es o close o 30 million iewe s. Adjus ed o co- iewing, i is likely
ha mo e han 40 million iewe s wa ched his Danish language ilm ha
nei he ilm c i ics in Denma k no ab oad seemed o app ecia e. Addi ional
da a om Ne lix shows ha he ilm eached he Top 10 o non-English ilms
in mo e han 70 coun ies all a ound he globe in June 2023. These numbe s
dwa e en he unaway success o D uk ha eached 3.6 million admissions
ac oss 41 ma ke s.
Challenges ha need o be add essed in his ega d hus include
undamen al ques ions such as: Wha p ohibi s a se ice such as Ne lix
om commissioning locally p oduced ilms in Po ugal, Li huania, Es onia
and C oa ia? Is i a ques ion o he (insu icien ly s ong) subsc ibe base
domes ically? Is i a ques ion o low a e age e enue pe subsc ibe ? Is i
a ques ion o (lacking) he igh kind o in e na ionally o ien ed/expe ienced
p oduc ion company? Ne lix’s deals wi h SF S udios o o iginal commissions
a e in e es ing in his espec . Is i a ques ion o whe he he igh kind o
alen o p oduc ion companies a e a ailable? Is i a ques ion o Ne lix
p io i izing o he o ma s such as se ial ic ion o en e ainmen shows?
Ne lix has also p o en o be able o ind global audiences o non-
commissioned ilms om small ma ke s, e en o ilms ha ailed a
he box o ice. The No wegian ilm Vikingul en (NO, 2022) eached
less han 8,000 admissions om he domes ic box o ice and was no
hea ically eleased ou side o No way, bu has eached 55.1 million iews
on Ne lix. This example is also, howe e , ied o he success o he Ne lix
commissioned T oll (NO, 2022), which sha e he same w i e , and bo h a e
p oduced by companies linked o SF S udios.
This also poin s o he ole o sales agen s and dis ibu ion companies
in he sale and managemen o non- hea ical igh s in bundles. When
global pla o ms also become ga ekeepe s o local audiences, his adds
ano he challenge o independen p oduce s. E en when hey a e ying o
39
each p edominan ly local audiences on VOD. The lack o local ilms in he
Es onian and Li huanian Ne lix’s ca alogs could possibly be linked o he lack
o dis ibu o s o o he en i ies ha could en e in o ou pu deals wi h global
s eame s ha migh be unwilling o nego ia e wi h p oduce s o he igh s o
a single i le.
Concluding on he challenges o dis ibu ion o
ilms om small ma ke s in he e a o he “US-
based globally dispe sed pla o m ecology”
(Loba o 2024, ii), we ind ha all he C esCine
ma ke s a e a ec ed by he dis up ion o he old
hea ical model, while he oppo uni ies emain
une enly dis ibu ed.
40
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