In one of the biggest deals in the history of Sundance, Amazon Studios has landed distribution rights to \u201c The Big Sick \u201d for about $12 million, Variety has learned.
The pact comes on the heels of the romantic comedy\u2019s rousing premiere on Friday night. The film is about a Pakistani-American comedian ( Kumail Nanjiani ) whose relationship with his girlfriend (Zoe Kazan) is nearly derailed over cultural differences and a health crisis. Nanjiani co-wrote the heavily autobiographical script with his wife Emily V. Gordon.
The negotiations for North American rights and other foreign territories stretched into midnight on Saturday. Nanjiani told Variety earlier this week that he wanted the film to get a theatrical release. Unlike Netflix, its rival streaming service, Amazon is a big proponent of the theatrical experience, with all of its films getting at least some kind of theatrical run.
\u201cThe Big Sick\u201d sparked interest from a number of distributors, among them Sony, Focus Features and Netflix. At least some of these studios presented final bids on Saturday. The comedy, which earned glowing reviews, is considered one of the most commercial films at the year\u2019s festival. Other territories were pre-sold, which was a concern to some potential buyers.
Kumail Nanjiani on Creating Sundance\u2019s Buzziest Comedy \u2018The Big Sick\u2019
Michael Showalter (\u201cHello My Name is Doris\u201d) directed the film with Judd Apatow and Barry Mendel producing. Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, and Kurt Braunohler round out the cast.
There have already been a number of high-profile sales at this year\u2019s Sundance. Netflix bought the documentaries \u201cCasting JonBenet\u201d and \u201cChasing Coral,\u201d and teamed with Momentum Pictures to acquire \u201cFun Moms Night\u201d; A24 nabbed \u201cA Ghost Story,\u201d a drama with Casey Affleck; and Sony Pictures Classics picked up the gay love story \u201cCall Me By Your Name.\u201d \u201cMudbound,\u201d a drama about life in the segregated South, premiered to a thunderous standing ovation on Saturday. It is expected to spark another epic bidding session.
Amazon was very active at last year\u2019s Sundance, buying the likes of \u201cGleason,\u201d \u201cWeiner-Dog,\u201d and \u201cManchester by the Sea.\u201d
FilmNation and UTA negotiated the deal.<\/p>\n

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\nSimilarity rank: 3.2\n<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 1.5<\/div>\n

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