Formerly called “Selective Distribution Support”, the objective of Films on the Move is to encourage and support the wider cross-border distribution of recent European films by encouraging sales agents and theatrical distributors in particular to invest in coordinated, large-scale promotion and distribution. It is aimed towards films that have at the same time high artistic value and higher than average audience potential.
The study was ordered to monitor the performance of the scheme. Firstly, it served to see how relevant the scheme is for the market of non-national films. Secondly, the goal was to detect patterns in the performance of different types of titles. It was also undertaken to experiment with new measures of performance, not available before. These were mainly aggregated reviews, numbers of screenings, and results outside of MEDIA participating countries.
The independent analysis, conducted using Usheru’s aggregated data including theatrical showtimes, box office and reviews, shows that:
- For every €1 invested in the scheme, the average box office generated in cinemas is €1.70.
- The support correlates with non-national success. Films that received the grant achieved 60% of their box office outside their home country, compared to just 40% for films that applied but were not selected.
- The support correlates with above-average results beyond the geographical scope of the grant. Grant-supported films also performed better in the UK and US theatrical markets, and in streaming releases.
- The analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between the level of funding received and box office revenue generated.
There are of course limitations. The analysed group counted only 95 titles and the Films on the Move does not claim responsibility for all of the cross-border success. The analysis however shows that the MEDIA grant contributes to exploiting the films’ potential and that it is well calibrated to the offer on the market.
The version published below includes an anonymised version of the report and dashboard. The full study is used for internal purposes of DG CNECT and EACEA monitoring the scheme, through analysing individual titles from the group of 95 from different angles, where two or more titles share a common characteristic.