Cultural Weekly has released a sobering infographic asking ‘Are Indies the 8th Studio?’

Analyzing Sundance data from 2014, they conclude that the 4,000 plus feature films submitted had combined budgets of over $3 billion, making Independent Film the ‘Eighth Studio’.

“There are seven major movie studios: Warner Bros., Disney, Universal, Sony/Columbia, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount. Can we now reasonably call independent filmmakers the Eighth Studio, because their aggregate production expenses clearly put them in the major studio league?”

The sobering news? Sadly, less than 2% of that money is ever recouped.

In other words, more than 98% of that money is, I won’t say ‘lost’ but rather, locked up in the produced films. I believe the goal of the new mediascape is to find a way to unlock this value.

Other insights: the odds are four times better on getting a feature into Sundance than a short. And the supply of new films continues to rise in spite of flat demand from Sundance.

Check out a hi-res version of the infographic.

My take: if you’re going to spend real money making a film, you need a serious business plan outlining how you’ll recoup it. Something radical that goes straight to your viewers, perhaps skipping festivals and traditional distribution channels. Or, don’t spend real money.