Before COVID upended things, leaving the indie film business that Sundance showcases struggling to regain its footing, the festival routinely hosted fierce bidding wars of the kind “Together” inspired. But with ticket sales in a rut, entertainment companies have been hesitant to hand out big checks for projects that might not connect with mainstream audiences. That’s deflated the market at Sundance, and made the festival seem more removed from the zeitgeist as the movies it highlights feel smaller and smaller.
Source: Sundance Film Festival Takeaways: No Deals, No Politics