Distribution

You’ve made this awesome movie. Guaranteed to make audiences laugh, cry, and vomit. And in the same scene, too. You know…all the things teenagers want when they go to the movies. Aside from, you know...making out in the back row, just below the projectionist.

So you knock on the door of AMC, the Century, then Syfy, then Fox, the Hulu. With a combo of arrogance and bravado, you show them your film…and they all agree it's wonderful.

Then they smile and they tell you to leave. And that no, they don't validate parking.

You can’t believe it. Why wouldn't they want your movie? This makes no sense. Whose fault it is, you don't know, but it's definitely not yours. So you sheepishly ask "why?" as you search for parking money in your thinly populated wallet.

They say…distribution.

Huh?

Well, Disney, for example, has a stream of 40 movies a year and most (or at least some) are good. They have distribution. They have a team of salespeople who relentlessly give out Lakers tickets to the theater managers and owners. Unlike you, Disney has the muscle to threaten to hold back the next Star Wars movie if the theater manager doesn’t book Boss Baby 4: The Bloodletting for 12 weeks with minimum money guarantees.

Disney has distribution. You don’t. So their films get paid for, made and seen by millions…while yours never leave the cutting room floor…i.e., your parent's basement.