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The Daily Insight

How much can you sell a movie idea for?

Author

James Craig

Published Mar 15, 2026

If you sell an idea or a storyline, you can expect to get $5,000 on the front-end and about $20,000 on the back-end if the movie gets produced. If you sell a treatment, you should expect around $15,000 on the front end and $30,000 on the back-end.

How do I submit a movie idea?

How to Pitch a Movie

  1. Pitch the right people. Make sure the investors or producers are the right fit for your screenplay.
  2. Find pitching opportunities.
  3. Know the elements of your film, inside and out.
  4. Prepare to answer questions.
  5. Be passionate and confident.
  6. Follow up.
  7. Shop your script around.

How do I submit a movie idea to Netflix?

If you have an idea for a show or film, you may be curious how to send it to Netflix. Netflix only accepts submissions through a licensed literary agent, or from a producer, attorney, manager, or entertainment executive with whom we have a preexisting relationship.

Where can I pitch movie ideas?

iPitch.tv offers a platform that showcases your TV Show and Movie Ideas. Hollywood Studios are looking for an angle into a marketable project, and pitching a highly original concept for a story that hasn’t been told before is a new writer/filmmaker’s best bet at selling a movie idea.

How do I sell a movie to Netflix?

Sell A Movie To Netflix: 3 Steps

  1. Step 1 – Refine Your Pitch For Netflix. Because nearly every filmmaker dreams of getting a Netflix deal, there is an abundant supply of content.
  2. Step 2 – Find An Aggregator or Distributor.
  3. Step 3 – Get A Response.

How much can I sell a movie script for?

In the 2017-2018 period, WGA spec script sales ranged from $72,600 to $136,000. The average? Around $110,000. There are different WGA minimums for everything, from a 15-minute episode of television, to selling a movie script, to a big budget feature film.

How long does it take to write a script for a movie?

The standard contract for a feature assignment will generally give the writer just ten to twelve weeks to finish the first draft, which means you could have less than three months to write a script from beginning to end.

Can you get paid for movie ideas?

Sometimes, an independent film company producer may choose to not offer a traditional payment structure for your idea. Instead, the producer may offer you a one-time payment for the film rights to your idea, based on the time that he estimates you put into script.

How much does a movie script sell for?

Unlike books, however, those screenplays that do sell, tend to sell for a lot. Though the WGA minimum is in the $130,000 range, the typical selling price for a spec script (a screenplay written on speculation, with no committed buyer) hovers in the neighborhood of $300-$600,000, plus bonuses.

How do you sell a movie pitch?

Here are her seven tips to selling an idea in Hollywood.

  1. Find a void in the marketplace.
  2. Find ways to make your idea appeal to the biggest demographic.
  3. Keep your pitch simple.
  4. Know your buyer.
  5. Partner with someone with experience, but not just anyone.
  6. Great!
  7. Find ways to extend your successful idea into a franchise.

How much does it cost to sell a movie on Netflix?

Working with a distributor or aggregator can cost over $1,000. Different groups use different pricing models, so there isn’t a universal, consistent charge you can expect. However, most groups charge at least $1,000 to get your film on Netflix, while other groups may add on pitch fees and annual charges.

How does Netflix pay for movies?

If a platform like Netflix wants to stream a movie, it will have to enter into a Digital Exploitation Agreement with the producer of the film wherein the producer will license the right to communicate the film to the public, also called a Film Distribution Agreement.

Can I write a movie script and sell it?

Screenwriting agents only make enough money to have a career on mid to high level deals. Doing a deal on a script sale of $100,000 is lucrative as long as they do a lot of them. And most will only represent screenplays and writers if they find a script they can easily sell.

How long is a script for a 2 hour movie?

The approximate rule of thumb is: one page per minute. So, theoretically, 120 pages for a two hour movie. Having said that, action typically takes longer than dialogue, so an action heavy script may require less pages to reach the two hour mark and dialogue heavy script more.

Is it hard to write a movie script?

In short, time makes it very hard to write a screenplay and often makes a screenplay never happen. Yet when it comes to time, you have all the time you need to be a professional screenwriter, if you write today. Writing today leads to everything you’ve always wanted. Writers have forever if they write before tomorrow.

How much is a movie script worth?

Is Netflix still losing money?

Largely lost in the noise of a membership shortfall, however, is that Netflix more than doubled its year-over-year profits. The first quarter’s bottom line of $1.7 billion is a 140% improvement on net income of $700 million earned during the first quarter of 2020.

Will Netflix shut down?

Netflix is up! We are not currently experiencing an interruption to our streaming service. We strive to bring you TV shows and movies you want to watch, whenever you want to watch them, but on very rare occasions we do experience a service outage.

Where can I sell my movie idea?

Is it possible to sell an idea for a movie?

You can’t just conjure a movie idea and expect to sell it to studios. That doesn’t happen. You can either try writing the script yourself or take the necessary steps to become a producer.

How do you submit an idea for a movie?

How to Write a Movie Pitch

  1. Write an introduction. Start your movie pitch with a brief overview of the film, which should include the title, logline, genre, and theme of the project.
  2. Include a synopsis.
  3. Discuss the characters.
  4. Address the filmmaking elements.
  5. Write a compelling conclusion.

Different groups use different pricing models, so there isn’t a universal, consistent charge you can expect. However, most groups charge at least $1,000 to get your film on Netflix, while other groups may add on pitch fees and annual charges.

What happens if you sell your movie idea?

Writers Guild of America. If you sell your movie concept and script to a studio, you may have to join the Writers Guild of America. The requirement to join the WGA is a good way to help develop your career as a screenwriter, because the guild requires that members get a minimum amount for movie scripts and ideas they sell.

How to make money with a movie idea?

Before you decide to start marketing your idea, make sure that you have a well-written script to back it up. Even if you or another screenwriter later rewrites the script, a well-executed script is what makes you money. Keep in mind that you can’t copyright a movie idea or concept, but you can copyright a script.

How to sell movie ideas to Hollywood producers?

Sell the rights to a producer who will make the project. Getting a meeting with the producer is going to be the hardest part. But once you get in the door, the fact that you have life rights to the story are almost certain to capture his or her interest.

Can You copyright a movie idea and make money?

Even if you or another screenwriter later rewrites the script, a well-executed script is what makes you money. Keep in mind that you can’t copyright a movie idea or concept, but you can copyright a script. Writers Guild of America If you sell your movie concept and script to a studio,…