18 Movies That Could Sell Big at Sundance 2025
While we were eager to tell you last year about Sundance premieres starring Kristen Stewart and Pedro Pascal, the unlikely “Thelma” became the true indie success story of 2024. Unexpected buyer Magnolia Pictures turned the June Squibb film into a hit, opening the doors for other buyers to take their own risks this year.
Heading into 2025, uniqueness is the name of the game, as is picking out the discovery that you won’t see coming, and not necessarily the movie with the big cast, commercial pedigree, or crowdpleaser premise. Last year, we were pretty spot on with “A Real Pain” and “My Old Ass” surviving the long haul, and we were among the few to tell you about “It’s What’s Inside” before Netflix plunked down $17 million to buy it; we were way off on a few others.
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The below list is not a collection of movies certain to sell or do so for eight figures, but ones we know have some real buzz. (All titles are presented alphabetically)
“Bubble & Squeak” (U.S. Dramatic)
The best film about cabbage smuggling you’re likely to see all year. This offbeat and stylized comedy with some Wes Anderson influences comes from first-time feature director Evan Twohy and is said to be far unlike what it sounds like on the page. It also features an impressive cast that includes Himesh Patel, “Barry” actress Sarah Goldberg, and producer/star Steven Yeun.
“Come See Me in the Good Light” (Premieres)
While it may be a documentary about a pair of poets grappling with an incurable cancer diagnosis, director Ryan White (“Pamela: A Love Story,” “Good Night Oppy”) turns this sobering subject matter into a surprisingly hilarious, life-affirming, and playful story that should spark someone to fall in love with it. Comedian Tig Notaro is one of the producers and champions of the film, which was developed by the producer of “Fleabag” and “100 Foot Wave.”
“The Dating Game” (World Documentary)
This sounds like a fun one that could have some international appeal. “The Dating Game” is set in China and follows a “boyfriend boot camp,” examining what modern dating looks like, especially in a place where men drastically outnumber women, and how everything from inequality, gender, and AI factor into how young people look at romance.
“Didn’t Die” (Midnight)
A truly low-budget indie horror movie waiting to break out, the black-and-white “Didn’t Die” follows a podcaster seeing her audience slowly dwindle amid a zombie apocalypse. The film pays homage to George Romero, and it’s also a metaphor about the mental weight of trying to survive an apocalypse. Talk about timely.
“Endless Cookie” (World Documentary)
“Endless Cookie” is the rare animated film to play Sundance as a sales title, a psychedelic and surreal trip that uses some underground animators to help illustrate the dialogue between two half brothers in 1980s Toronto. Producer Scythia Films brought “The Witch” to Sundance in 2015, as well as “My Old Ass” last year, and in 2025 also has “The Wedding Banquet” at the fest.
“Folktales” (Premieres)
Described as a high school movie set at the edge of the world, the latest doc from “Jesus Camp” directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing looks at teens in Arctic Norway as they train sled dogs. The film has some impressive cinematography and the biggest scope Ewing and Grady have had the chance to work with.
“Hal & Harper” (Episodic)
Can a TV show make a splash at Sundance? Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn’s “Penelope” did last year when it eventually landed on Netflix. Cooper Raiff of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” fame is betting on an indie TV model that could blossom into a new market. The series stars Lili Reinhart, Mark Ruffalo, Betty Gilpin, Havana Rose Liu, Addison Timlin, Alyah Chanelle Scott, and Raiff.
“Jimpa” (Premieres)
“Jimpa,” a drama about a non-binary teen visiting their gay grandfather, has been described to us as “joyous” and Sophie Hyde’s best film after “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” found a big Searchlight sale at Sundance 2022 as a Hulu original. Olivia Colman and John Lithgow anchor the cast of this film, and it’s easy to see this one finding a path to audiences after premiering on opening day.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Premieres)
Bill Condon’s splashy musical adaptation of the stage musical and novel of the same name, the second time “Kiss of the Spider Woman” has been brought to the screen after the 1985 film, may be too big for Sundance, let alone for it to arrive at the festival without distribution. But the film, which stars Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna, is holding back on early screenings while banking on this being an exciting discovery. You could potentially suspect a major studio to jump to give it a wide theatrical release if a streamer doesn’t bite first.
“Last Days” (Premieres)
After years directing “Fast & Furious” movies, Justin Lin returns to his indie roots and to Park City for the first time since 2002’s “Better Luck Tomorrow” for this film based on an article from “Outside” magazine. “Last Days” follows a young missionary who travels to the remote Sentinel Islands to spread Christianity to a tribe of people who have never had outside contact with the world. Maybe the title hints at how it went.
“Love, Brooklyn” (U.S. Dramatic)
This feature debut boasts André Holland as a producer and Steven Soderbergh as an EP. Directed by Rachael Holder, it’s love letter to New York City that follows three Brooklyn natives navigating their love lives and careers. André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., and Brigitte Lundy Paine lead the cast. Director Rachael Holder is making her feature directorial debut, but she’s known for her directing work on series like “Dickinson” and “Run the World.”
“Omaha” (U.S. Dramatic)
John Magaro gave an underrated performance in last year’s “September 5,” and not to mention in Sundance 2023 hit “Past Lives.” Here, he leads an intimate, yet mysterious road trip movie — one a studio distributor described to us as “very indie” — from debut director Cole Webley alongside two kid actors, Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis, who we’ve heard could easily become discoveries.
“Rabbit Trap” (Midnight)
Another well-crafted genre film from a debut filmmaker, this one executive produced by “Talk to Me” producers Umbrella Entertainment and Elijah Wood’s Spectrevision, Dev Patel anchors a dark fairy tale set among the Welsh countryside. He plays a musician relocating to a cottage in Wales to complete his band’s album, only to record a mystical sound that disconnects them from reality.
“Rebuilding” (Premieres)
A tearjerker with Josh O’Connor? Sign us up. Early buzz about Max Walker-Silverman’s (“A Love Song”) second feature suggests we could be talking about O’Connor’s performance here for a long time. He first broke out with “God’s Own Country” at Sundance, and he’s as in-demand as any actor today between the third “Knives Out” film and a new Steven Spielberg film.
“The Thing With Feathers” (Premieres)
Director Dylan Southern has twice been at Sundance with two rock docs, “Meet Me in the Bathroom” and “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” but this time he’s got a dark and thrilling adaptation of the novella “Grief Is the Thing With Feathers” from author Max Porter starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Producer Andrea Cornwell last year brought A24’s “Love Lies Bleeding” to the festival.
“Together” (Midnight)
One buyer told us they had a gut feeling that “Together” would fetch a big sale. The film is supernatural body horror goodness from debut filmmaker Michael Shanks. With real-life spouses Alison Brie and Dave Franco playing a struggling couple, there’s a lot of narrative potential here.
“Train Dreams” (Premieres)
Epic in scope and perhaps one of the more prestige-filled titles to be found on the market, “Train Dreams” comes from “Jockey” director and “Sing Sing” producer/co-writer Clint Bentley and stars Joel Edgerton as a day laborer working on the railroad in America in the early 20th century. Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon round out the impressive cast for a film that should have a lot of suitors.
“Twinless” (U.S. Dramatic)
“Twinless” landed the opening night primetime slot at the Eccles, and it’s described as exactly the sort of movie that fits the Sundance ethos. The film is a fun, crowd-pleasing yet bittersweet story about a bereavement support group for twins who have lost their other half, with Dylan O’Brien playing a twin who forms an unlikely bromance with James Sweeney, who is also the film’s director.
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