Media Giants Needing to Fill Streaming Sites Feast on Sundance Films

Hulu, Neon pay $17.5 million for wedding comedy ‘Palm Springs’
Online services provide a bigger stage for documentary films

Taylor Swift and Lana Wilson speak onstage during the Netflix premiere of Miss Americana at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23.
Photographer: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Kelly Gilblom

January 28, 2020 at 12:00 PM UTC

Updated on

January 28, 2020 at 5:48 PM UTC

At Sundance, the Utah film festival known for launching the careers of unknown filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, it’s corporations that are stealing the show this year.

Among the hot tickets were a Netflix Inc. documentary about pop star Taylor Swift and a four-part Hulu series about Hillary Clinton. Many other hotly anticipated pictures were snapped up by streaming services before they were submitted to Sundance or just before the festival started.