“Josephine” was destined to land at an established indie like Neon or A24, but instead, it wound up at Sumerian Pictures, a newcomer to Hollywood. “The film is a real standout in lots of ways,” Rob Williams, prexc of content strategy at Sumerian, says. “And that’s what you look for as a new distributor — things that can stand out.

More than a half-dozen distributors like Sumerian have debuted in the past two years, hoping to take advantage of the upheaval.

There’s Row K, which has nabbed Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” and reboot of “Cliffhanger.”

Then there’s Black Bear, the production company behind hits like “I Care a Lot” and “Sing Sing” that recently decided to release the films it makes instead of selling them to other studios.

The companies are looking to back 6 to 12 movies annually, mid-budget comedies and thrillers, the kind of films that studios have abandoned in favor of video game adaptations and superhero adventures.

Row K

Other new distributors include 101 Studios, the production company behind Yellowstone, which is making the leap into releasing films, as well as arthouse label 1-2 Special, which acquired the Charli xcx film Erupcja.

Bob Yari, the producer of “Crash,” is backing Magenta Light Studios, with slate that includes the Renny Harlin film “Deep Water and “California Schemin’” the James McAvoy’s debut.

EKKL

EKKL Entertainment is focused on faith-based fare and uplifting stories such as the Steve Zahn dramedy “She Dances.”

These days film distribution is downright treacherous. Releasing an indie in theaters, which requires marketing campaigns and promotional efforts, can cost anywhere from $5 million to $30 million. And it takes time to see a return on that investment. Most films aren’t profitable during their theatrical runs, given that studios split ticket sales with theater owners. The real money comes through on-demand rentals and licensing deals with cable and streamers, and those are harder to secure.

One downside of the consolidation, Fox merge with Disney and Paramount poised to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, is that it has left indie studios selling to fewer TV and streaming platform.

Distribution companies that launched in the past two decades have collapsed.

Relativity, the brainchild of entrepreneur Ryan Kavanaugh, which claimed to have a proprietary algorithm that allowed them to separate the hit projects from the duds, ended in bankruptcy.

Similarly, STX Entertainment, founded by “The Waterboy” producer Robert Simonds with backing from investment fund TPG, was eager to disrupt Hollywood. Instead, it closed shop when too many flops led to cash crunch.

Broad Green is remembered for offering staff perks like free meals from, but not for its movies.

Annapurna provided home to Kathryn Bigelow and Richard Linklater, who directed great films that lost too much money.

Neon and A24 have become Oscar-winning indie players with box office hits, but given the defunct distributors, why would anyone think releasing movies in theaters?

Most of the initial releases from new distributors have failed to capture the public.

Row K’s first film, “Dead Man’s Wire,” eked out $2 million at the domestic box office despite playing in more than 1,000 theaters.

And Black Bear stumbled with its initial release, “Christy,” boxing drama that generated awards buzz for Sydney Sweeney but only $1.9 million in ticket sales.

But these players say they understand that it may take time for them to develop the kind of hit films that can pay for their entire slates. Until they do, the trick is to manage money efficiently.

overhead, so that puts you in a position where you have to release more movies and then you’re not releasing good movies.”

These aren’t public companies, so it’s hard to know about their finances. However, many appear to be well capitalized.

Row K is a subsidiary of Media Capital Technologies, an investment firm that Woodrow runs with Raj Singh that is backed by MassMutual.

Black Bear was founded by Teddy Schwarzman, the son of billionaire Blackstone founder Stephen Schwarzman. Despite his wealth, the younger Schwarzman is said to be very conservative when it comes to spending.

Watermelon Pictures

Watermelon Pictures was founded with a central calling. Launched in 2024 by brothers Badie and Hamza Ali, the company is trying to present richer and more complex portraits of Palestinians and Arabs than typically offered by Hollywood and the media.

Palestinian Movies

Its projects include Palestine 36, a drama about the Arab revolt against British rule, and All That’s Left of You, a multi-generational story of Palestinian family.

“We saw what’s happening in our homeland, and we knew that our voices are, whether deliberately or not, being silenced from mainstream narrative,” says Badie Ali. “There’s lack of representation, so we decided to provide a platform.”

Industry vets and artists believe that Hollywood is facing the kind of crisis that can spark a revolution and argue that many of these new companies are emerging in order to capitalize on the tumult.