- Joined
- Dec 31, 2025
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- 24
Why Most Indie Films Never Make Money
I’ve been thinking about something that rarely gets discussed honestly in filmmaking circles.
Most indie films don’t fail because they are bad.
They fail because there was never a realistic plan for making money from them.
We spend years talking about cameras, color grading, lenses, festivals, networking… but how often do filmmakers seriously ask:
“Who is actually going to pay to watch this film?”
Not watch. Not like. Not praise.
Pay.
The market is brutally overcrowded.
Festivals bring prestige, but rarely revenue.
Streaming deals often disappoint financially.
Yet many productions still operate on the assumption that “if the film is good, things will work out.”
But do they?
Curious to hear real-world perspectives:
Have you ever seen an indie film become genuinely profitable?
Do festivals help financially, or mostly psychologically?
Is streaming still a viable revenue path for small productions?
Where do you think most projects go wrong?
No theory genuinely interested in practical experiences.
