Stoic Takes Unbearable Christmas Overseas as Vertical Books a Holiday US Release
Stoic has acquired the international sales rights to Unbearable Christmas, excluding North America, and will take the film to the American Film Market in Los Angeles, according to Deadline.
In plain terms, a sales rights deal means the company offers the film to cinemas, streaming services and television buyers in other countries. Stoic will launch sales in every territory still available. The American Film Market is a trade event where sales companies show films to distributors from around the world, and those buyers decide what eventually reaches their local screens.
The film has already found a home in its biggest market. Vertical has acquired domestic rights, which cover the United States and Canada, for a wide release this holiday season. A wide release means the film will open in a large number of cinemas at the same time, rather than starting small and growing.
The story follows Troy Tipton, an out-of-work weatherman played by Alex Moffat. He sets out on a road trip from Ohio to Florida to recover a family teddy bear that was pawned. The bear turns out to be a Teddy Roosevelt antique worth millions, according to Deadline's report. Moffat is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, the long-running American sketch show.
Julia Stiles, David Cross, Caroline Rhea, Mena Suvari and Stephen Root also appear in the film.
The film is the feature directorial debut of writer-director Kevin Cate, who co-wrote the screenplay with Blake Sennett. Sennett and Cate produce under the Clinging Vine Films banner. Rick Kearney, Julia Stiles and Alex Moffat serve as executive producers.
For a film to reach a cinema screen, several deals usually come first. Here, one company now sells the film abroad, and another has the rights to release it across North America in the holiday season. Each of those steps was taken by a named company and a named group of people, and the next step will come when international buyers start to respond at the Los Angeles market.
