You’ve heard the drama of the last few weeks: Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” is headed to Neon after being unceremoniously dumped by Amazon MGM, but the newly reported details of the deal are more revealing than the acquisition itself. According to Puck News, Amazon effectively offloaded the film for no upfront payment after the studio backed away from releasing a movie about Sam Altman and OpenAI following Amazon’s own massive $50 billion deal with the company.
Per Puck, Neon is not paying a purchase price for “Artificial,” but has committed to a robust $15 million P&A spend to market and release the film. That was apparently enough for Amazon, even though Mubi reportedly made an opening bid of $10 million and may have gone higher. Puck reports that Amazon was not looking to maximize an upfront sale, and CAA did not counter Mubi.
The arrangement underlines just how eager Amazon appears to have been to distance itself from the film. “Artificial” reportedly cost about $46 million to produce, though nearly $20 million in production rebates were provided by Italy, where much of the movie was shot. If Neon can turn the controversy and subject matter into real box office and international sales, Amazon could recoup some costs after Neon’s distribution fees and expenses. More likely, Puck suggests, Amazon writes off its losses while Guadagnino still gets the theatrical release he wanted.
The new details also suggest “Artificial” was a tougher sell than expected. Puck reports that several distributors expressed interest during the recent sales process, only to backtrack or disappear. Reactions to screenings were reportedly mixed, and Puck characterizes the response as part of a broader chill around town surrounding the film, even if it does not ultimately emerge as an awards-season player.
Additionally, there may also be one more corporate wrinkle ahead. Neon’s current two-year Pay 1 output deal with Hulu is about to expire, and renewal talks are ongoing. The outlet raises the question of whether Disney, which owns Hulu, could eventually object to carrying the film. However, the actual reporting is more cautious for now: if the Neon-Hulu renewal closes, “Artificial” is currently expected to appear on Hulu after its theatrical run.
For Neon, the upside is obvious: a Guadagnino film starring Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro, and Yura Borisov, wrapped in tech-world controversy and corporate awkwardness, with Amazon absorbing the production fallout. For Amazon, the move gets a suddenly uncomfortable movie off its release slate without fully burying it. And for Guadagnino, the outcome may be imperfect. However, it is still the thing he needed most: a theatrical release through a distributor better suited to sell this kind of prickly, timely, filmmaker-driven movie.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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