Indie films have made a surprising comeback in a gloomy time for Hollywood

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A strong box office this year has boosted the horror genre with films like Neon's "Longlegs" and "Cuckoo" being particularly popular among young people (and best viewed in community settings). There's also A24's thriller "Civil War" and Magnolia Pictures' action-comedy "Thelma."

Sure, it's not a financial blockbuster compared to this year's big franchise films like "Despicable Me 4," "Deadpool and Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2." They don't seem like they'll be obvious commercial hits, but, they're successful by normal movie standards. “Longlegs” barely launched its biggest star, Nicolas Cage, and is the biggest indie film of the year, grossing more than $100 million worldwide.

“Thelma,” about an 83-year-old woman victimized by phone scammers, has become Magnolia’s highest-grossing narrative feature. Films with conservative themes have been successful in addition to faith-based films recently. The biopic “Reagan” starring Dennis Quaid and the Matt Walsh documentary “Am I Racist” cracked the top 10 at the domestic box office this summer.

“With the emergence of COVID and peak streaming, it’s again revealing that indie films can be extremely successful in theaters,” said Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of film industry analysis firm Box Office Theory. “There have always been studios making these kinds of films, but the distribution strategies, the marketing, primarily through social media, have changed the game.”

The box office rebound from a mild spring and summer, with many releases geared toward moviegoers, boosted every film. More indie projects have been coming out since the spring, said Seth Needles, co-founder of Blue Harbor Entertainment, a film marketer and distributor.

"Independent films have done very well at the box office; it definitely shows the extent of a well-made and well-marketed independent film. In the past, you could see all of this at the expense of independent films," Needles said, referring to the franchise's take on success.

Recently, many articles predicted the demise of indie films. They were pushed back during the pandemic, when festivals shut down, a major source of building awareness. The Hollywood writers and actors' strike also pushed more films to 2023, as well as more TV production.

Netflix is ​​also significantly cutting back on spending on entertainment and giving filmmakers creative freedom, instead focusing on widely lucrative, commercial hits. Still, according to research firm Ampere Analysis, indie filmmaking — traditionally defined as films made outside of the major studios — is faring better than major studios, which turn to streaming for profitability if expenses have to be cut drastically.

The race by major studios to get delayed projects into production pushed many independent projects off shooting schedules earlier this year. But indie production activity has improved since then, according to Ampere. Some are also optimistic about increased film funding and momentum from indie players like Miramax, which recently got a new CEO in Jonathan Glickman, and Neon, which founded Waypoint to support mid-budget films and signed a new deal with Entertainment Tonight, .

Private funding and tax incentives provided to locals are other sources of encouragement for the film industry. Film and TV investor Content Partners is also launching a film financing arm, starting with $15 million in debt financing for Lionsgate films.

Brands like Procter & Gamble and Neutrogena also play a big role in film financing, providing another source of hope for indie films. Brands are increasingly pulling out of funding projects and then trying to recoup costs by selling to studios or streamers.

Some indie films have found non-traditional methods of distribution outside of the traditional theater system through startups like Kinema, which helps filmmakers host in-person and online screenings.

Blue Harbor took an experimental approach in distributing “Know Your Place” by promoting the film to a small group of audiences in Seattle, where the film was based, in addition to a limited theatrical run. "A transaction platform told us there was an opportunity for indie films because so many studio films were renting for $20, that there was no room for box office success," said Blue Harbor co-founder Michael Messina. "We could take advantage of that, while indie films could rent for half that amount."