
Fresh from his conquering of awards season, Cillian Murphy is the current leading man du jour. Strange then, that his follow-up to “Oppenheimer” still hasn’t secured a U.S. release.
“Small Things Like These,” based on the novella by Claire Keegan, opened the Berlin Film Festival, scored solid reviews for both Murphy’s quietly intense starring role and Emily Watson’s turn as a tyrannical nun (a performance that won her the Golden Bear). Yet a domestic deal for the film — which Murphy also produced for his new Big Things Films banner — has yet to be announced by FilmNation.
But “Small Things Like These” is just part of a growing new trend of starry indie titles that are struggling — or at least taking much longer than usual — to secure a U.S. sale. Also screening in Berlin, Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina,” starring Rooney Mara, was one of the festival highlights, with HanWay selling out internationally. Three months on and the film’s U.S deal — being handled by Fifth Season and WME — still hasn’t been unveiled. Meanwhile, a domestic buyer for “The Outrun,” which sparked (very) early Oscar 2025 talks for Saoirse Ronan after it screened in Sundance, isn’t confirmed (although Variety hears a deal isn’t far off).
Related Stories

Generative AI & Licensing: A Special Report

From 'The Perfect Couple' to 'Uglies': The Best Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Read This Year
But it’s clear that projects that would previously have flown off the shelves domestically just don’t have the same immediate pulling power. And according to one source, it’s the lack of post-theatrical window deals with broadcasters and streamers that’s slowing things down.
Popular on Variety
“The U.S. market has been very slow because of the fact no one seems to have a pay one deal anymore,” lamented one insider, who noted that, without automatic slots to fill, distributors are having to find individual partners for the first pay TV window for each individual film. “They almost need to seek reassurance that they can get a pay one deal, so that challenges how quickly they can respond or commit to a number.”
Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks film group that includes IFC Films, said that “the regularity of certain audiences’ filmgoing is still yet to return to pre-COVID levels,” and noted that one of the factors affecting the U.S. sales of prestige dramas comes down to the evolution of “how audiences connect with material on a prestige drama front.”
He said movies with “difficult subject matters” are a tougher sell in the current market. “It’s harder to get people sit through difficult stories. We’ve just been through challenging times,” Shooman said.
“We’re starting to see more prestige dramas with cast or with a hook, like ‘One Life’ or ‘Wicked Little Letters,’ they still do sell and they still do work. So it’s just got to be the right movie that people think they can break through,” he added.
The executive, who is currently attending the Cannes Film Market, said the company still occasionally pre-buys prestige dramas, but is always taking into consideration “the floor and the ceiling of execution” on each acquisition. Prestige dramas often have a high floor and low ceiling, he claimed, whereas there’s more of an opportunity for a “runaway success” with something more genre-friendly.
Take the recent release “Late Night With the Devil,” which grossed an impressive $10 million at the box office despite its low budget and lack of big-name talent.
“If you look at the world of prestige drama, there’s not many at $10 million. I think there’s quite a few at [$5 million], but no one’s really getting to that $10 million number,” the executive said.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
Nicole Kidman Unable to Accept Venice Acting Prize in Person Due to Mother’s Death: ‘My Heart Is Broken’
Generative AI & Licensing: A Special Report
Cloud Adoption Key to Media Business Exploiting AI
Most Popular
Luke Bryan Reacts to Beyoncé’s CMA Awards Snub: ‘If You’re Gonna Make Country Albums, Come Into Our World and Be Country With…
Donald Glover Cancels 2024 Childish Gambino Tour Dates After Hospitalization: ‘I Have Surgery Scheduled and Need Time Out to Heal’
‘Joker 2’ Ending: Was That a ‘Dark Knight’ Connection? Explaining What’s Next for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker
‘Love Is Blind' Creator Reveals Why They Didn’t Follow Leo and Brittany After Pods, if They'll Be at Reunion (EXCLUSIVE)
Rosie O'Donnell on Becoming a 'Big Sister' to the Menendez Brothers, Believes They Could Be Released From Prison in the ‘Next 30 Days’
‘That ’90s Show’ Canceled After Two Seasons on Netflix, Kurtwood Smith Says: ‘We Will Shop the Show’
Have We Reached Ryan Murphy Overload?
Dakota Fanning Got Asked ‘Super-Inappropriate Questions’ as a Child Actor Like ‘How Could You Have Any Friends?’ and Can ‘You Avoid Being a Tabloid…
Why Critically Panned ‘Joker 2’ Could Still Be in the Awards Race for Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix
Coldplay’s Chris Martin Says Playing With Michael J. Fox at Glastonbury Was ‘So Trippy’: ‘Like Being 7 and Being in Heaven…
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 2 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXOAjp%2BgpaVfnLmwrsClZrCgpWKus7HNrWSsrJGneq2xw2anq52jqbaosYytoK2klah6o7HIp55mq56WvbGxw2asqWWWpL9uwYysZGpqY2t9cYCVa2po